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How to Write Raw SQL Queries in Django ORM

Learn how to use Django ORM via Raw SQL Queries

In Django, you can execute raw SQL queries using the django.db.connection object or by using the RawSQL expression.

How to Write Raw SQL Queries in Django ORM - Tutorial provided by AppSeed.

Here's how to do both:

✅ Method 1: Using django.db.connection​

You can execute raw SQL queries using the django.db.connection object. This method is useful when you need to perform custom queries that don't fit within the typical ORM structure.

Here's an example:

from django.db import connection

# Your raw SQL query
raw_sql = "SELECT * FROM your_table WHERE your_condition;"

# Execute the query
with connection.cursor() as cursor:
    cursor.execute(raw_sql)
    results = cursor.fetchall()

Replace your_table with the name of your database table and your_condition with the desired SQL condition.

✅ Method 2: Using RawSQL expression​

The RawSQL expression allows you to include raw SQL in a query while still using the Django ORM. Here's an example of how to use it:

from django.db.models import RawSQL
from yourapp.models import YourModel

# Your raw SQL expression
raw_sql = RawSQL("SELECT * FROM your_table WHERE your_condition;", [])

# Use the raw SQL expression in a query
results = YourModel.objects.raw(raw_sql)

In this example:

  • your_table is the name of your database table.
  • your_condition is the SQL condition you want to apply.

The RawSQL expression can be used in queries to include custom SQL expressions.

Remember to replace your_table, your_condition, and YourModel with your actual table name, SQL condition, and model class, respectively.

Using raw SQL queries should be done with caution, as it bypasses some of Django's built-in protections against SQL injection and can make your code less portable between different database backends. Always validate and sanitize user inputs when constructing raw SQL queries to prevent security risks.

✅ Resources​