# Delete\_by\_query task API returns some slices as null

**URL:** <https://discuss.elastic.co/t/delete-by-query-task-api-returns-some-slices-as-null/155599>\
**Category:** Elasticsearch\
**Created:** [November 6, 2018, 6:58pm UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/delete-by-query-task-api-returns-some-slices-as-null/155599 "2018-11-06T18:58:40Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![mats990](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/elastic/user_avatar/discuss.elastic.co/mats990/32/37516_2.png) [@mats990](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/mats990)\
**Post date:** [November 6, 2018, 6:58pm UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/delete-by-query-task-api-returns-some-slices-as-null/155599/1 "2018-11-06T18:58:40Z")

</div>

Hi,

I'm using delete\_by\_query in ES version 5.6.4 and I'm using it with slices. Example of my request:

```
POST index-pattern/doc/_delete_by_query?slices=20&wait_for_completion=false&scroll_size=3000

```

After that I'm using task API to get info :

```
GET _tasks/VzPPBNs6S4uUQLl1b8LVUw:1406062032

```

which returns unusual reponse:

```
{
"completed": false,
"task": {
"node": "VzPPBNs6S4uUQLl1b8LVUw",
"id": 1406062032,
"type": "transport",
"action": "indices:data/write/delete/byquery",
"status": {
  "total": 12345,
  "updated": 0,
  "created": 0,
  "deleted": 1234,
  "batches": 59,
  "version_conflicts": 9663,
  "noops": 0,
  "retries": {
    "bulk": 0,
    "search": 0
  },
  "throttled_millis": 31799,
  "requests_per_second": 30000,
  "throttled_until_millis": 0,
  "slices": [
    {
      "slice_id": 0,
      "total": 12345,
      "updated": 0,
      "created": 0,
      "deleted": 12345,
      "batches": 9,
      "version_conflicts": 8,
      "noops": 0,
      "retries": {
        "bulk": 0,
        "search": 0
      },
      "throttled_millis": 4799,
      "requests_per_second": 5000,
      "throttled_until_millis": 0
    },
    null,
    null,
    null,
    {
      "slice_id": 4,
      "total": 12345,
      "updated": 0,
      "created": 0,
      "deleted": 12345,
      "batches": 10,
      "version_conflicts": 1416,
      "noops": 0,
      "retries": {
        "bulk": 0,
        "search": 0
      },
      "throttled_millis": 5399,
      "requests_per_second": 5000,
      "throttled_until_millis": 0
    },
    null,
    {
      "slice_id": 6,
      "total": 12345,
      "updated": 0,
      "created": 0,
      "deleted": 0,
      "batches": 1,
      "version_conflicts": 3000,
      "noops": 0,
      "retries": {
        "bulk": 0,
        "search": 0
      },
      "throttled_millis": 0,
      "requests_per_second": 5000,
      "throttled_until_millis": 0
    },
    {
      "slice_id": 7,
      "total": 12345,
      "updated": 0,
      "created": 0,
      "deleted": 12345,
      "batches": 37,
      "version_conflicts": 743,
      "noops": 0,
      "retries": {
        "bulk": 0,
        "search": 0
      },
      "throttled_millis": 21599,
      "requests_per_second": 5000,
      "throttled_until_millis": 0
    },
    null,
    null,
    null,
    null,
    null,
    null,
    null,
    {
      "slice_id": 15,
      "total": 12345,
      "updated": 0,
      "created": 0,
      "deleted": 12345,
      "batches": 1,
      "version_conflicts": 1496,
      "noops": 0,
      "retries": {
        "bulk": 0,
        "search": 0
      },
      "throttled_millis": 0,
      "requests_per_second": 5000,
      "throttled_until_millis": 0
    },
    null,
    null,
    {
      "slice_id": 18,
      "total": 12345,
      "updated": 0,
      "created": 0,
      "deleted": 0,
      "batches": 1,
      "version_conflicts": 3000,
      "noops": 0,
      "retries": {
        "bulk": 0,
        "search": 0
      },
      "throttled_millis": 0,
      "requests_per_second": 5000,
      "throttled_until_millis": 0
    },
    null
  ]
},
"description": "delete-by-query [index-pattern",
"start_time_in_millis": 12345,
"running_time_in_nanos": 12345,
"cancellable": true
}
}

```

My question is: why are there slices that are null?

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![system](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/elastic/original/3X/1/a/1ac57faf039f6b580b3f104ef42a2a89e41014de.png) [@system](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/system)\
**Post date:** [December 4, 2018, 6:58pm UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/delete-by-query-task-api-returns-some-slices-as-null/155599/2 "2018-12-04T18:58:47Z")

</div>

Closed on December 4, 2018, 6:58pm UTC

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