# Dynamic raw query (select clause) Django **URL:** \ **Category:** ORM\ **Created:** [April 5, 2022, 3:08pm UTC](https://forum.djangoproject.com/t/dynamic-raw-query-select-clause-django/13017 "2022-04-05T15:08:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![nikhilbadyal](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex026/user_avatar/forum.djangoproject.com/nikhilbadyal/32/8035_2.png) [@nikhilbadyal](https://forum.djangoproject.com/u/nikhilbadyal)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2022, 3:08pm UTC](https://forum.djangoproject.com/t/dynamic-raw-query-select-clause-django/13017/1 "2022-04-05T15:08:57Z")
I’m trying to execute a raw query in Django where I dynamically want to pick column names. Eg ``` def func(all=True){ if all: query_parameters = { 'col': '*' } else: query_parameters = { 'col': 'a,b,c' } with connections["redshift"].cursor() as cursor: cursor.execute( "select %(col)s from table limit 2 ;", query_parameters, ) val = dictfetchall(cursor) return val } ``` Django is executing it like. `select "*" from table limit 2;` so the output is just like `select "*"` `*` and in the else case it is executed like `select "a,b,c" from table limit 2;` so the output is `a,b,c` How can I run the command so that Django run it like `select a , b , c from table limit 2` so that the output is ```auto a b c 1 2 3 4 5 6 ``` ---
**Author:** ![plopidou](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex026/user_avatar/forum.djangoproject.com/plopidou/32/5148_2.png) [@plopidou](https://forum.djangoproject.com/u/plopidou)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2022, 3:23pm UTC](https://forum.djangoproject.com/t/dynamic-raw-query-select-clause-django/13017/2 "2022-04-05T15:23:15Z")
would something like this work? ```auto fields = ['a','b','c'] fields.append('d') objects = Model.objects.only(*fields).filter()[:2] ``` ---
**Author:** ![nikhilbadyal](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex026/user_avatar/forum.djangoproject.com/nikhilbadyal/32/8035_2.png) [@nikhilbadyal](https://forum.djangoproject.com/u/nikhilbadyal)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2022, 3:39pm UTC](https://forum.djangoproject.com/t/dynamic-raw-query-select-clause-django/13017/3 "2022-04-05T15:39:27Z")
This is just a simple version of the actual problem. I cant use ORM for this particular issue, I have to use raw query. Is this not possible with raw query ? ---
**Author:** ![plopidou](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex026/user_avatar/forum.djangoproject.com/plopidou/32/5148_2.png) [@plopidou](https://forum.djangoproject.com/u/plopidou)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2022, 3:41pm UTC](https://forum.djangoproject.com/t/dynamic-raw-query-select-clause-django/13017/4 "2022-04-05T15:41:05Z")
fair enough, how more complex is it? We can’t be right/wrong and/or give good/bad ideas if we do not have more details than you gave 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![nikhilbadyal](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex026/user_avatar/forum.djangoproject.com/nikhilbadyal/32/8035_2.png) [@nikhilbadyal](https://forum.djangoproject.com/u/nikhilbadyal)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2022, 3:44pm UTC](https://forum.djangoproject.com/t/dynamic-raw-query-select-clause-django/13017/5 "2022-04-05T15:44:54Z")
Actually, it’s a legacy system and the query contains 5-10+ strange combinations of joins. We surely will re-write everything in ORM at a later stage of the project. But for the initial presentation, we are reusing the queries. ---
**Author:** ![plopidou](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex026/user_avatar/forum.djangoproject.com/plopidou/32/5148_2.png) [@plopidou](https://forum.djangoproject.com/u/plopidou)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2022, 3:49pm UTC](https://forum.djangoproject.com/t/dynamic-raw-query-select-clause-django/13017/6 "2022-04-05T15:49:53Z")
ah ok. Fair enough indeed. Well what I proposed allows you to use the ORM, all the while dynamically building the list of fields/columns you want to fetch from the database: ```auto fields = ['a','b','c'] fields.append('d') field.insert(0, 'z') limit = 2 objects = Model.objects.only(*fields).filter()[:limit] ``` this will result in something similar to the following query being generated and sent over the wire: ```auto SELECT z, a , b , c, d FROM objects LIMIT 2; ``` ---
**Author:** ![nikhilbadyal](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex026/user_avatar/forum.djangoproject.com/nikhilbadyal/32/8035_2.png) [@nikhilbadyal](https://forum.djangoproject.com/u/nikhilbadyal)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2022, 3:55pm UTC](https://forum.djangoproject.com/t/dynamic-raw-query-select-clause-django/13017/7 "2022-04-05T15:55:20Z")
Thanks for this, I know the ORM way. Just wanted to know if it’s possible with raw query. ---
**Author:** ![plopidou](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex026/user_avatar/forum.djangoproject.com/plopidou/32/5148_2.png) [@plopidou](https://forum.djangoproject.com/u/plopidou)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2022, 3:57pm UTC](https://forum.djangoproject.com/t/dynamic-raw-query-select-clause-django/13017/8 "2022-04-05T15:57:33Z")
heh 😉 > ---
**Author:** ![nikhilbadyal](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex026/user_avatar/forum.djangoproject.com/nikhilbadyal/32/8035_2.png) [@nikhilbadyal](https://forum.djangoproject.com/u/nikhilbadyal)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2022, 3:59pm UTC](https://forum.djangoproject.com/t/dynamic-raw-query-select-clause-django/13017/9 "2022-04-05T15:59:32Z")
🤣 😅 Now I think its not possible with raw. ---
**Author:** ![plopidou](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex026/user_avatar/forum.djangoproject.com/plopidou/32/5148_2.png) [@plopidou](https://forum.djangoproject.com/u/plopidou)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2022, 4:11pm UTC](https://forum.djangoproject.com/t/dynamic-raw-query-select-clause-django/13017/10 "2022-04-05T16:11:38Z")
have you tried something like this? ```auto cols = ['a, b'] cursor.execute("SELECT %s FROM table", [','.join(cols)]) ``` i.e. w/o the keywords syntax? ---
**Author:** ![nikhilbadyal](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex026/user_avatar/forum.djangoproject.com/nikhilbadyal/32/8035_2.png) [@nikhilbadyal](https://forum.djangoproject.com/u/nikhilbadyal)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2022, 4:23pm UTC](https://forum.djangoproject.com/t/dynamic-raw-query-select-clause-django/13017/11 "2022-04-05T16:23:29Z")
Thanks, I tried but didn’t work out. But just after the last reply. I just got an idea and the hack worked. It’s working now. ---
**Author:** ![plopidou](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex026/user_avatar/forum.djangoproject.com/plopidou/32/5148_2.png) [@plopidou](https://forum.djangoproject.com/u/plopidou)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2022, 4:25pm UTC](https://forum.djangoproject.com/t/dynamic-raw-query-select-clause-django/13017/12 "2022-04-05T16:25:06Z")
Well, tell us about the hack! 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![nikhilbadyal](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex026/user_avatar/forum.djangoproject.com/nikhilbadyal/32/8035_2.png) [@nikhilbadyal](https://forum.djangoproject.com/u/nikhilbadyal)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2022, 4:38pm UTC](https://forum.djangoproject.com/t/dynamic-raw-query-select-clause-django/13017/13 "2022-04-05T16:38:15Z")
Prepared query step by step Input data (Columns I need) _self.export\_col = “a,b,c”_ ```auto def calc_col(self): if self.exp == 'T': select_col = "" self.export_col = self.export_col.split(',') for col in self.export_col: select_col += col + "," select_col = select_col[:-1] self.export_col = select_col else: self.export_col += '*' def prepare_query(self): query += " SELECT " query += self.export_col query += """ from table limit 2;""" ``` ---
**Author:** ![plopidou](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex026/user_avatar/forum.djangoproject.com/plopidou/32/5148_2.png) [@plopidou](https://forum.djangoproject.com/u/plopidou)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2022, 4:39pm UTC](https://forum.djangoproject.com/t/dynamic-raw-query-select-clause-django/13017/14 "2022-04-05T16:39:48Z")
I see… bet you can’t wait to migrate this to something newer! 🙂