Using Cimera > Searching and Querying > Querying > Differences between Query Builder and CQL

The Query Builder Window and CQL are two alternative methods for selecting items based on criteria.

Which is the appropriate tool to use depends on what you want to do and your personal preference.

The main differences are

	Query Builder Window	CQL (Cimera Query Language)
Notation	Uses reverse polish notation (which may be unfamiliar initially)	Is of the same genre as SQL
How are Queries built	Queries are build by selecting criteria with a mouse	Queries are build by typing (and selecting from the dictionary)
Prompting and help	User friendly menus shows which fields are available to use for each Item Type	The Dictionary shows which fields are available to use for each Item Type
Syntax errors	Because the query is build for you it is not possible to get syntax errors.	Because you manually enter the CQL it is easy to get syntax errors until you are familiar with the language
Querying on relationships	Not possible	It is possible to select items based on their relationships to other items

Both query types can be saved for future reuse.