Use an index to query quick reference data in Azure Boards and Azure DevOps
TFS 2017 | TFS 2015 | TFS 2013
Use this index to quickly access example queries and information on opening, defining, and working with queries. To learn how to use the Query Editor, see Define a query. If you find that your queries take too long to return results, review the Guidance to create high-performing queries.
Example queries
You can list work items based on the following criteria...
Keywords, wildcard queries
- Keyword or phrase query with wildcards
- Undefined field value queries
- Empty or not empty HTML field queries
- Category based queries
- Items you're following
- Recent activity work items
Tag based queries
- Items containing a specific tag
- Items that don't contain a specific tag
- Items that contain two or more tags
- Items that have no tag assignments
- Chart work items and group by tags
State, reason, or workflow change queries
- Resolved user stories
- Items I resolved in the last week
- Items failing acceptance tests
- Items closed within the last 15 days
- Items removed as they're duplicate
- Items closed and then reactivated
- Stories in the Code/Doing column
- Items in the Expedite swimlane
- Items in a swimlane containing "Test"
Date and iteration-based queries
- Items created in the last 30 days
- Items modified on a specific date
- Items resolved today
- Items closed within a specific time period
- Items whose updated status
- Items closed in the current sprint
Link and attachment count queries
Identity-based queries
- Active items assigned to me
- Closed items that were assigned to me
- Active items assigned to my team
- Items I've modified in the last 30 days
- Items I closed
- Items I resolved in the last week
- Team or group membership queries
- My recent activity work items
Work item count and numeric field queries
- Count of active bugs per developer
- Count of bugs by area and states
- Sum of story points and their status
- Burnup chart of user stories for a sprint
- Sum of remaining work per developer
History, Discussion, and revision-change queries
- History contains a specific word
- History doesn't contain a specific word
- Reactivated items
- Items closed within a time period
- Items you've been associated with
Team focus queries
Build and test field queries
- List bugs and linked test cases
- List automated test cases
- List requirement-based test suites
- List query-based test suites
Other
Query tasks
Operators and macros supported for each data type
The following table indicates the operators and macros available for the different field data types. Each field is associated with a data type. You can find the data type listed in the descriptions of each field, which you can look up using the Work item field index. Operators available for defining a query clause depends on the data type of the field that you select. For more detailed descriptions of data types, operators, and macros, see Query fields, operators, and macros.
Data type
Description
Supported operators and macros
Boolean 1
Supports a True/False value. Query samples: Query by assignment or workflow changes.
= , <> , =[Field] , <>[Field]
DateTime
A date field in which you can specify a variable, such as @Today or @Today-1, or a value, such as 1/1/2012. Enter dates in the Date Pattern you set for your personal profile. (See Set personal preferences for details.)
For query examples, see Query by date or@CurrentIteration.
= , <> , > , < , >= , <= , =[Field], <>[Field], >[Field], <[Field], >=[Field], <=[Field], In, Not In, Was Ever Macros: @Today, valid with any DateTime field
Additional macros supported on Azure DevOps 2019 Update 1 and later versions::
@StartOfDay, @StartOfWeek, @StartOfMonth, and @StartOfYear, valid with any DateTime field
Double
Also referred to as Decimal and includes picklistDouble2. A real number, such as 0.2 or 3.5.
Query samples: Query by numeric fields.
= , <> , > , < , >= , <= , =[Field], <>[Field], >[Field], <[Field], >=[Field], <=[Field], In, Not In, Was Ever
GUID
A character string that represents a unique ID.
= , <> , > , < , >= , <= , =[Field], <>[Field], >[Field], <[Field], >=[Field], <=[Field], In, Not In, Was Ever
History
Custom formatted field used to track historical information and only assigned to the History field.
Query samples: History and auditing.
Contains Words, Does Not Contain Words
HTML
Text strings that support formatted descriptions, such as the Description or Repro Steps fields. These fields are automatically indexed for full-text search when full-text search is available. Query samples: Query by titles, IDs, and rich-text fields.
Contains Words, Does Not Contain Words, Is Empty3, Is Not Empty3
Identity
A String field that is used to hold a user identity.Query samples: Query by assignment or workflow changes.
= , <> , > , < , >= , <= , =[Field], <>[Field], >[Field], <[Field], >=[Field], <=[Field], Contains, Does Not Contain, In, Not In, In Group, Not In Group, Was Ever Macros: @me valid for all Identity fields
Integer
Also includes picklistInteger2. A 32-bit integer that is signed, such as 0, 1, 2, 34.
Query samples: Query by numeric fields
= , <> , > , < , >= , <= , =[Field], <>[Field], >[Field], <[Field], >=[Field], <=[Field], In, Not In, Was Ever
Macros: @Follows4,
@MyRecentActivity5,
@RecentMentions5,
@RecentProjectActivity, valid when used with the ID field
PlainText
Multi-line text strings that support long descriptions and are automatically indexed for full-text search, when full-text search is available.
Query samples: Query by titles, IDs, and rich-text fields.
Contains Words, Does Not Contain Words, Is Empty3, Is Not Empty3
String
Also includes picklistString2. Short single-line text that can contain up to 255 Unicode characters. String fields support the Title field, picklists (drop-down menus), user accounts, Tags, and other fields.
Query samples: Query by titles, IDs, and rich-text fields and Query by picklist value.
= , <> , > , < , >= , <= , =[Field], <>[Field], >[Field], <[Field], >=[Field], <=[Field], Contains, Does Not Contain, In, Not In, In Group, Not In Group, Was Ever
Macros: [Any], valid with the Work Item Type field
@Project6, valid with the Team Project field
TreePath
Field type that supports the Area Path and Iteration Path fields. You define the tree structure for a project—area paths and iteration paths.
Query samples: Query by area or iteration path and Query by date or current iteration.
Under, Not Under
Macros: @TeamAreas7, valid with Area Path field
@CurrentIteration8 and @CurrentIteration+/- n9 valid with the Iteration Path field
Note
- The Boolean data type field is supported for TFS 2017 and later versions.
- The picklist... data types are only assigned to custom fields defined for an inherited process. The Inherited process model is only supported for Azure DevOps Services and Azure DevOps Server 2019.
- The Is Empty and Is Not Empty operators are supported for Azure DevOps Server 2019 RC2 and later versions.
- The @Follows macro is supported for TFS 2017 and later versions.
- The @MyRecentActivity, @RecentMentions, and @RecentProjectActivity macros are supported for Azure Boards and TFS 2018.2 and later versions.
- The @Project macro is supported for TFS 2015.1 and later versions. The system automatically defaults to filtering based on the current project. To learn more, see Query across projects.
- The @TeamAreas macro is supported for Azure Boards and Azure DevOps Server 2019 and later versions.
- The @CurrentIteration macro is supported for TFS 2015 and later versions, and only when run from the web portal.
- The @CurrentIteration +/- n macro is supported for Azure Boards and Azure DevOps Server 2019 and later versions, and only when run from the web portal.
Note
The following macros are only supported from the web portal: @CurrentIteration, @CurrentIteration +/- n, @Follows, @MyRecentActivity, @RecentMentions, @RecentProjectActivity, and @TeamAreas. Queries that contain these macros won't work when opened in Visual Studio/Team Explorer, Microsoft Excel, or Microsoft Project.
Sample queries for select fields
The following table lists common query fields and their data type for which sample queries are provided. To determine the data type of a field, see Work item fields and attributes, List field attributes.
A
- Acceptance Criteria (HTML)
- Activated By (Identity)
- Activated Date (DateTime)
- Activity (String)
- Area Path (TreePath)
- Assigned To (Identity)
- Attached File Count (Integer)
- Automated Test Name (String)
- Automated Test Type (String)
B
- Blocked (String)
- Board Column (String)
- Board Column Done (Boolean)
- Board Lane (String)
- Business Value (String)
C
- Changed By (Identity)
- Changed Date (DateTime)
- Closed By (Identity)
- Closed Date (DateTime)
- Comment Count1 (Integer)
- Committed (String)
- Completed Work (Decimal)
- Created By (Identity)
- Created Date (DateTime)
D-E-F
- Discipline (String)
- Description (HTML)
- Due Date (DateTime)
- Effort (Decimal)
- External Link Count (Integer)
- Finish Date (DateTime)
- Found In Build (String)
H-P
- History (History)
- Hyperlink Count (Integer)
- ID (Integer)
- Integrated in Build (String)
- Iteration Path (TreePath)
- Link Comment (Integer)
- Node Name (String)
- Original Estimate (Decimal)
- Parameters (HTML)
- Priority (Integer)
R
- Reason (String)
- Related Link Count (Integer)
- Remaining Work (Decimal)
- Repro Steps (HTML)
- Resolved By (Identity)
- Resolved Date (DateTime)
- Resolved Reason (String)
- Rev (Integer)
- Revised Date (DateTime)
S
- Severity (String)
- Size (Decimal)
- Stack Rank (Decimal)
- Start Date (DateTime)
- State (String)
- State Change Date (DateTime)
- Steps (HTML)
- Steps to Reproduce (HTML)
- Story Points (Decimal)
- System Info (HTML)
T
- Tags (String)
- Target Date (DateTime)
- Task Type (String)
- Team Project (String)
- Test Suite Type (String)
- Title (System)
- Triage (String)
V-W
- Value Area (String)
- Work Item Type (String)
Note
- The Comment Count field is supported for TFS 2017 and later versions.