# Further enhance TOP ES|QL function please

**URL:** <https://discuss.elastic.co/t/further-enhance-top-es-ql-function-please/384898>\
**Category:** Elasticsearch\
**Tags:** esql\
**Created:** [February 3, 2026, 7:50pm UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/further-enhance-top-es-ql-function-please/384898 "2026-02-03T19:50:22Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 1\
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![RainTown](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/elastic/user_avatar/discuss.elastic.co/raintown/32/140206_2.png) [@RainTown](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/RainTown)\
**Post date:** [February 3, 2026, 7:50pm UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/further-enhance-top-es-ql-function-please/384898/1 "2026-02-03T19:50:22Z")

</div>

Now that 9.3.0 is out, I notice this added (and very useful) ES|QL feature:

> Support extra field (`outputField`) in TOP function.
> 
> Values of `outputField` will be returned instead of values of `field` , as discussed [here](https://github.com/elastic/elasticsearch/pull/135434) and [there](https://github.com/elastic/elasticsearch/issues/128630)

In that first link, I suggested adding keyword fields to the list of possibilities for the outputField. Because effectively what we can now now answer in ES|QL:

"Give me list of employees sorted by their salaries"

if by "employee" we mean a numeric employee\_id. I think often I'd more often rather answer in ES|QL:

"Give me list of my employees names, sorted by their salaries"

where the employee name is a keyword field ?

Am I overlooking some other ES|QL way to achieve same?

If not, how to "nudge" the development team to add the keywork type to OutputField in 9.4+ ?