Ecto: using SQL for a query

The Ecto library has a large number functions we can leverage to query the database without writing SQL. These are mostly found on the Ecto.Repo module, for example Repo.get/3, Repo.all/2, Repo.aggregrate/3, etc.

But what if you need to write a more complicated SELECT or INSERT? For this circumstance you can leverage the Repo.query/3 as long as your application is using the Postgres, MySQL, or SQLServer database adapter. The query function along with additional sql functions are injected into the Repo module if you are using one of those adapters. A screenshot of available functions:

If you’re not using one of the previously mentioned database adapters you can still get access to these helper functions by importing the Ecto.Adapters.SQL module into your project.

An example use of Repo.query:

Repo.query("select id, name from stores where id >= 10") 

If you found this post helpful you might also like Ecto: example inner join query.