DocumentQuery

DocumentQuery is a term used to describe an abstraction for constructing and executing queries against collections of documents stored in document-oriented databases, content repositories, or search indexes. It represents an API or library that focuses on retrieving JSON-like documents rather than traditional relational rows, enabling developers to work with unstructured or semi-structured data in a consistent manner.

Core features typically associated with a DocumentQuery abstraction include a fluent query-building API, filtering and selection of fields (projections), sorting and pagination, and the ability to combine criteria with logical operators. Many implementations also support full-text search, range queries, and geospatial queries, as well as nested or embedded document access. Some approaches provide aggregation capabilities to derive summaries or statistics from the retrieved documents. To promote security and reliability, parameterization and input validation are common, helping to mitigate injection risks.

From an architectural perspective, DocumentQuery aims to decouple application logic from the specifics of the underlying storage backend. The query is translated into the native query language or DSL of the target system, such as a document database, a search engine, or a content repository. This decoupling fosters portability across backends and simplifies testing and maintenance.

The term has been used broadly within software development to describe various query-builder patterns and document-access layers. There is no universal standard for a singular “DocumentQuery,” and several frameworks implement similar concepts under different names. See also: document store, NoSQL, query builder, MongoDB, Elasticsearch.