# Nested query, missing inner hits **URL:** \ **Category:** Elasticsearch\ **Created:** [February 5, 2016, 9:43am UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/nested-query-missing-inner-hits/41038 "2016-02-05T09:43:46Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Benjamin\_Gathmann](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/elastic/user_avatar/discuss.elastic.co/benjamin_gathmann/32/7561_2.png) [@Benjamin\_Gathmann](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/Benjamin_Gathmann)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2016, 9:43am UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/nested-query-missing-inner-hits/41038/1 "2016-02-05T09:43:46Z")
I have observed a strange behavior for nested queries which I do not understand. Here is an example query: ``` { "query" : { "nested" : { "path" : "first.nested.path", "query" : { "bool" : { "filter" : [{ "term" : { "first.nested.path.general.something" : "ABC" } }, { "nested" : { "path" : "first.nested.path.second.path", "query" : { "bool" : { "filter" : [{ "term" : { "first.nested.path.second.path.value" : "Hello" } }, { "term" : { "first.nested.path.second.path.value2" : "World" } } ] } } } } ] } } } }, "inner_hits" : { "kids" : { "path" : { "first.nested.path" : { "query" : { "term" : { "first.nested.path.general.something" : "ABC" } }, "_source" : false, "fielddata_fields" : ["first.nested.path.general.something"], "inner_hits" : { "kids" : { "path" : { "first.nested.path.second.path" : { "query" : { "bool" : { "filter" : [{ "term" : { "first.nested.path.second.path.value" : "Hello" } }, { "term" : { "first.nested.path.second.path.value2" : "World" } } ] } }, "_source" : false, "fielddata_fields" : ["first.nested.path.second.path.value", "first.nested.path.second.path.value2"] } } } } } } } } } ``` This query returns empty inner\_hits for some results. But how is this possible? I have checked the original data and found that the filters apply (so it is correct that the result is returned), but for some reason the inner\_hits are not shown. What are possible reasons for this? I am also not quite sure about how to include query-\>bool-\>filter-\>term in the inner\_hits definition. Should it be: ``` "query" : { "term" : { ``` (like above) OR: ``` "query" : { "filtered": { "filter": { "term" : { ``` ? In general, this part of the query DSL is pretty awkward (see also: > ---
**Author:** ![Benjamin\_Gathmann](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/elastic/user_avatar/discuss.elastic.co/benjamin_gathmann/32/7561_2.png) [@Benjamin\_Gathmann](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/Benjamin_Gathmann)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2016, 11:58am UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/nested-query-missing-inner-hits/41038/2 "2016-02-10T11:58:19Z")
To better illustrate this behavior, I have created this Gist: > and the kind of data I receive for SOME of the hits: > Does anybody have an idea what is going on? Is it a bug? Or is something wrong with my syntax? ---
**Author:** ![Benjamin\_Gathmann](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/elastic/user_avatar/discuss.elastic.co/benjamin_gathmann/32/7561_2.png) [@Benjamin\_Gathmann](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/Benjamin_Gathmann)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2016, 1:28pm UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/nested-query-missing-inner-hits/41038/3 "2016-02-10T13:28:12Z")
Here is the probable answer (but not solution yet) to my question: It seems like ES stumbles over "null" values for objects when it retrieves inner\_hits. I have added an example to my Gist here (you can see that the object "f" is null in the second "first" entry : > I am not sure what to do about this problem. It looks like a bug to me - I guess ES should check for null values when iterating over the documents. What is the way forward? ---
**Author:** ![Benjamin\_Gathmann](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/elastic/user_avatar/discuss.elastic.co/benjamin_gathmann/32/7561_2.png) [@Benjamin\_Gathmann](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/Benjamin_Gathmann)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2016, 4:51pm UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/nested-query-missing-inner-hits/41038/4 "2016-02-12T16:51:37Z")
It turned out the problem lies somewhere else. It has to do with the pretty insane syntax for top level inner hits. Here is a related issue on Github: > The point is that if I have multiple nesting, I have to repeat a query several times, i.e. not only in the deepest path, but also in all intermediate paths in between. Otherwise, the query will return all inner\_hits for the intermediate level, even those that do not have a matching nested object inside that matches the actual query. Here is what my example query needs to look like: > As @RanadeepPolavarapu writes: "Downside that It is more verbose, because the query needs to be repeated on each nested level." I would be very happy if something could be done to make the syntax a little less "verbose". ---
**Author:** ![system](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/elastic/original/3X/1/a/1ac57faf039f6b580b3f104ef42a2a89e41014de.png) [@system](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/system)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2017, 11:16pm UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/nested-query-missing-inner-hits/41038/5 "2017-07-05T23:16:47Z")