# How to query documents for a field to be null? **URL:** \ **Category:** Elasticsearch\ **Created:** [March 27, 2012, 1:47am UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/how-to-query-documents-for-a-field-to-be-null/7137 "2012-03-27T01:47:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![alichi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/bc79bd/32.png) [@alichi](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/alichi)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2012, 1:47am UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/how-to-query-documents-for-a-field-to-be-null/7137/1 "2012-03-27T01:47:53Z")
I am trying to run a query like below: {"query" : {"term" : { "my\_field": null } } } but it seems that it is not working, it does not return anything (using the curl command and also the HEAD plugin). Thanks, Ali ---
**Author:** ![dadoonet](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/elastic/user_avatar/discuss.elastic.co/dadoonet/32/137187_2.png) [@dadoonet](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/dadoonet)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2012, 4:57am UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/how-to-query-documents-for-a-field-to-be-null/7137/2 "2012-03-27T04:57:55Z")
See [Elasticsearch Platform β€” Find real-time answers at scale | Elastic](http://www.elasticsearch.org/guide/reference/query-dsl/missing-filter.html) David πŸ˜‰ Twitter : @dadoonet / @elasticsearchfr Le 27 mars 2012 Γ  03:47, Ali Loghmani [loghmani@gmail.com](mailto:loghmani@gmail.com) a Γ©crit : > I am trying to run a query like below: > {"query" : {"term" : { "my\_field": null } } } > > but it seems that it is not working, it does not return anything (using the curl command and also the HEAD plugin). > > Thanks, > Ali ---
**Author:** ![alichi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/bc79bd/32.png) [@alichi](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/alichi)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2012, 7:58pm UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/how-to-query-documents-for-a-field-to-be-null/7137/3 "2012-03-27T19:58:29Z")
cool, easy πŸ˜‰ On Monday, March 26, 2012 6:47:53 PM UTC-7, Ali Loghmani wrote: > I am trying to run a query like below: > {"query" : {"term" : { "my\_field": null } } } > > but it seems that it is not working, it does not return anything (using > the curl command and also the HEAD plugin). > > Thanks, > Ali ---
**Author:** ![kimchy](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/elastic/user_avatar/discuss.elastic.co/kimchy/32/44952_2.png) [@kimchy](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/kimchy)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2012, 10:31am UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/how-to-query-documents-for-a-field-to-be-null/7137/4 "2012-03-28T10:31:27Z")
Mmm, wondering if we can do that automatically and translate term query / filter against null to missing one where applicable. Can you open an issue? On Tue, Mar 27, 2012 at 9:58 PM, Ali Loghmani [loghmani@gmail.com](mailto:loghmani@gmail.com) wrote: > cool, easy πŸ˜‰ > > On Monday, March 26, 2012 6:47:53 PM UTC-7, Ali Loghmani wrote: > > > I am trying to run a query like below: > > {"query" : {"term" : { "my\_field": null } } } > > > > but it seems that it is not working, it does not return anything (using > > the curl command and also the HEAD plugin). > > > > Thanks, > > Ali ---
**Author:** ![Anurag\_Biyani](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/elastic/user_avatar/discuss.elastic.co/anurag_biyani/32/2844_2.png) [@Anurag\_Biyani](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/Anurag_Biyani)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2012, 1:36am UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/how-to-query-documents-for-a-field-to-be-null/7137/5 "2012-04-13T01:36:04Z")
Aren't {"x": "blah", "y": null}, AND, {"x": "blah"} two different JSON obejcts ? Shouldn't a json document with a field having value null should be treated differently then a json document which is missing the field all together ? It seems that elasticsearch's "missing" filter treats json value "null" as equivalent to absence of field. Is this the desired behavior ? On Mar 28, 3:31 am, Shay Banon [kim...@gmail.com](mailto:kim...@gmail.com) wrote: > Mmm, wondering if we can do that automatically and translate term query / > filter against null to missing one where applicable. Can you open an issue? > > On Tue, Mar 27, 2012 at 9:58 PM, Ali Loghmani [loghm...@gmail.com](mailto:loghm...@gmail.com) wrote: > > > cool, easy πŸ˜‰ > > > On Monday, March 26, 2012 6:47:53 PM UTC-7, Ali Loghmani wrote: > > > > I am trying to run a query like below: > > > {"query" : {"term" : { "my\_field": null } } } > > > > but it seems that it is not working, it does not return anything (using > > > the curl command and also the HEAD plugin). > > > > Thanks, > > > Ali ---
**Author:** ![Clinton\_Gormley](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/50afbb/32.png) [@Clinton\_Gormley](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/Clinton_Gormley)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2012, 10:30am UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/how-to-query-documents-for-a-field-to-be-null/7137/6 "2012-04-13T10:30:09Z")
On Thu, 2012-04-12 at 18:36 -0700, Anurag Biyani wrote: > Aren't {"x": "blah", "y": null}, AND, {"x": "blah"} two different > JSON obejcts ? Shouldn't a json document with a field having value > null should be treated differently then a json document which is > missing the field all together ? > It seems that elasticsearch's "missing" filter treats json value > "null" as equivalent to absence of field. Is this the desired > behavior ? From a programmer's perspective, yes, they are different. From ES' perspective, they aren't. You could work around this by providing a null\_value setting in the mapping which would be indexed when the property is provided but has a null value. That, of course, assumes that the value you choose for the null\_value could never occur as a real value for that property clint > On Mar 28, 3:31 am, Shay Banon [kim...@gmail.com](mailto:kim...@gmail.com) wrote: > > > Mmm, wondering if we can do that automatically and translate term query / > > filter against null to missing one where applicable. Can you open an issue? > > > > On Tue, Mar 27, 2012 at 9:58 PM, Ali Loghmani [loghm...@gmail.com](mailto:loghm...@gmail.com) wrote: > > > > > cool, easy πŸ˜‰ > > > > > On Monday, March 26, 2012 6:47:53 PM UTC-7, Ali Loghmani wrote: > > > > > > I am trying to run a query like below: > > > > {"query" : {"term" : { "my\_field": null } } } > > > > > > but it seems that it is not working, it does not return anything (using > > > > the curl command and also the HEAD plugin). > > > > > > Thanks, > > > > Ali ---
**Author:** ![Anurag\_Biyani](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/elastic/user_avatar/discuss.elastic.co/anurag_biyani/32/2844_2.png) [@Anurag\_Biyani](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/Anurag_Biyani)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2012, 5:37pm UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/how-to-query-documents-for-a-field-to-be-null/7137/7 "2012-04-13T17:37:47Z")
Thanks for the quick reply! πŸ™‚ On Apr 13, 3:30 am, Clinton Gormley [cl...@traveljury.com](mailto:cl...@traveljury.com) wrote: > On Thu, 2012-04-12 at 18:36 -0700,AnuragBiyaniwrote: > > > Aren't {"x": "blah", "y": null}, AND, {"x": "blah"} two different > > JSON obejcts ? Shouldn't a json document with a field having value > > null should be treated differently then a json document which is > > missing the field all together ? > > It seems that elasticsearch's "missing" filter treats json value > > "null" as equivalent to absence of field. Is this the desired > > behavior ? > > From a programmer's perspective, yes, they are different. From ES' > perspective, they aren't. > > You could work around this by providing a null\_value setting in the > mapping which would be indexed when the property is provided but has a > null value. > > That, of course, assumes that the value you choose for the null\_value > could never occur as a real value for that property > > clint > > > On Mar 28, 3:31 am, Shay Banon [kim...@gmail.com](mailto:kim...@gmail.com) wrote: > > > > > Mmm, wondering if we can do that automatically and translate term query / > > > filter against null to missing one where applicable. Can you open an issue? > > > > On Tue, Mar 27, 2012 at 9:58 PM, Ali Loghmani [loghm...@gmail.com](mailto:loghm...@gmail.com) wrote: > > > > > > > cool, easy πŸ˜‰ > > > > > On Monday, March 26, 2012 6:47:53 PM UTC-7, Ali Loghmani wrote: > > > > > > I am trying to run a query like below: > > > > > {"query" : {"term" : { "my\_field": null } } } > > > > > > but it seems that it is not working, it does not return anything (using > > > > > the curl command and also the HEAD plugin). > > > > > > Thanks, > > > > > Ali ---
**Author:** ![system](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/elastic/original/3X/1/a/1ac57faf039f6b580b3f104ef42a2a89e41014de.png) [@system](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/system)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2017, 3:32am UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/how-to-query-documents-for-a-field-to-be-null/7137/8 "2017-07-06T03:32:38Z")