# Query a Pentaho Data Service

You can use SQL to query a data service. You can also add a conditional statement to the query if the data service transformation uses a parameter. The parameter must be added to the transformation by an ETL developer before the data service was created. See a [Creating a regular or streaming Pentaho Data Service](/pdia-data-integration/10.2-data-integration/advanced-topics-pentaho-data-integration-overview/pentaho-data-services/creating-a-regular-or-streaming-pentaho-data-service.md) for more details. You can then assign a value to the parameter in your query.

To find the name of the table to query, you can connect to the data service, then use explorer to find the name of the table. The name of table is usually the same as the name of the data service.

The Pentaho Data Service has the following limitations:

* There are SQL limitations for queries. See the [Pentaho Data Service SQL support reference and other development considerations](/pdia-data-integration/10.2-data-integration/advanced-topics-pentaho-data-integration-overview/pentaho-data-services/test-a-pentaho-data-service/examine-test-results/pentaho-data-service-sql-support-reference-and-other-development-considerations.md) article for more details.
* Although you can use any Pentaho-supported input source, data services can only be queried with SQL.


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# Agent Instructions: Querying This Documentation

If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation dynamically by asking a question.

Perform an HTTP GET request on the current page URL with the `ask` query parameter:

```
GET https://docs.pentaho.com/pdia-data-integration/10.2-data-integration/advanced-topics-pentaho-data-integration-overview/pentaho-data-services/share-a-pentaho-data-service-with-others/query-a-pentaho-data-service.md?ask=<question>
```

The question should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language.
The response will contain a direct answer to the question and relevant excerpts and sources from the documentation.

Use this mechanism when the answer is not explicitly present in the current page, you need clarification or additional context, or you want to retrieve related documentation sections.