A useful Dataview setup does not need dozens of clever queries. Start with a handful that answer repeatable questions: what projects are active, which tasks need attention, what changed recently, and which notes are missing expected metadata. The examples below use DQL, Dataview’s query language, and assume you will replace folder names and fields with the ones your vault actually uses.
What Dataview queries should you have in your vault?
Dataview indexes metadata from Obsidian Markdown frontmatter and inline fields, then lets you query it using DQL or JavaScript-based methods. The project describes Dataview as treating a vault like a database; see the Dataview project documentation. For routine lists, tables, filters, sorting, grouping, and limits, begin with DQL rather than code.
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A DQL query generally selects an output type, optionally chooses a source with FROM, then refines results with commands such as WHERE, SORT, GROUP BY, and LIMIT. The output type is the only mandatory command. The official query structure reference describes the pipeline and its clauses.
Build a project dashboard
If project notes share a consistent status and due-date field, a table can put the essentials in one view:
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```dataview
TABLE file.link AS "Project", status, due
FROM "Projects"
WHERE status = "active"
SORT due ASC
```TABLE displays the selected metadata alongside each page link; FROM limits the search to the Projects folder, and the remaining lines filter and order the results. DQL supports these output and refinement patterns in its query types reference.
Review open and due tasks safely
Open tasks
A task query works at task level and returns an interactive list. Checking a task in the result updates the task in its original file.
```dataview
TASK
FROM "Projects"
WHERE !completed
SORT due ASC
```Task metadata and available fields can depend on how the vault records tasks and on the installed Dataview version. Verify that due is exposed for your tasks and adapt the filter to your schema before relying on the snippet.
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Due or overdue tasks
Guard date comparisons against absent values. Dataview documents that comparing a missing due value (null) with today can produce an unexpected match. Check the value’s type before comparing:
```dataview
TASK
FROM "Projects"
WHERE typeof(due) = "date" AND due <= date(today)
SORT due ASC
```The expression reference covers date expressions and the null-comparison caveat. This query intentionally excludes tasks without a date, rather than treating them as due.
See what changed recently
For an engineering folder where notes have type and language fields, sort by modification time and cap the result:
```dataview
TABLE file.link AS "Note", file.mtime AS "Modified", type, language
FROM "Engineering"
SORT file.mtime DESC
LIMIT 20
```This is a suggested pattern using documented source, column, sort, and limit commands—not a claim that every vault has those fields. If you mainly need links rather than several columns, use a compact list instead:
```dataview
LIST file.mtime
FROM #reference
SORT file.mtime DESC
LIMIT 15
```LIST suits a link index; TABLE is more useful when comparing multiple metadata fields. Dataview’s output type documentation also describes task, calendar, and page-level results.
Find project notes with missing metadata
A cleanup query can surface project notes that lack fields your workflow expects:
```dataview
TABLE WITHOUT ID file.link AS "Note", type, status
FROM "Projects"
WHERE !type OR !status
SORT file.name ASC
```TABLE WITHOUT ID avoids the default page identifier column, while the predicate tests for absent or falsy values. Confirm how empty fields behave with your installed version and actual metadata before using this as an automated lint rule. The query examples and reference show these table and filter idioms.
Group reference notes by language or technology
When reference notes consistently use a field such as language, grouping makes a compact index by value:
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TABLE rows.file.link AS "Notes"
FROM "Engineering/References"
GROUP BY language
SORT key ASC
```Grouping creates one result for each value, and grouped results can refer to their members through rows. Choose a field that is reliably populated; otherwise, the groups will not represent a useful taxonomy. See the Dataview query reference.
Keep query scope as small as practical
Use FROM to restrict a query to a relevant folder, tag, or other supported source when a whole-vault search is unnecessary. Broad queries can take a long time and, in extreme cases depending on vault size, freeze Obsidian, according to the official query structure guidance. A narrow source also makes the query’s intent easier to understand.
Choose DQL, inline queries, or DataviewJS
| Query style | Use it for | Important constraint |
|---|---|---|
DQL code block (dataview) |
Ordinary tables, lists, calendars, task views, filters, sorting, grouping, and limits. | Make sure its source and field names match your vault. |
| Inline DQL | A single computed value embedded in prose or a dashboard label. | It returns one value and cannot run a multi-page query. |
DataviewJS block (dataviewjs) |
A transformation or rendering that ordinary DQL cannot express. | Requires JavaScript and has broader access, including potential file changes and network requests; use only code you trust. |
| Inline DataviewJS | An inline value that needs JavaScript capabilities. | Apply the same trust and access caution as for a DataviewJS block. |
Dataview’s project documentation characterizes DQL as a pipeline-based, vaguely SQL-looking expression language and DataviewJS as a high-powered JavaScript API. The inline query reference explains the distinction between inline DQL and JavaScript-based queries.
When a query returns nothing
Check the plugin and the assumptions before rewriting the query:
- Confirm Dataview is enabled in Obsidian.
- Check that the folder or tag in
FROMexists and matches the vault’s path or tag spelling. - Verify field names and values against actual frontmatter or inline fields; for example, a query for
status = "active"will not match a differently named field or value. - For date filters, confirm that values are recognized as dates and account for missing dates explicitly.
Folder-path and field-name mismatches are also highlighted in the Dataview Query Builder examples. These templates are starting points, not pre-validated queries for every vault.
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