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## B.29 `tapquery`: Queries a Table Access Protocol server

`tapquery` can query remote databases using the Table Access Protocol (TAP) services by submitting Astronomical Data Query Language (ADQL) queries to them and retrieving the results. TAP and ADQL are Virtual Observatory protocols.

Queries can be submitted in either synchronous or asynchronous mode, as determined by the `sync` parameter. In asynchronous mode, if the query has not been deleted by the time the command exits (see the `delete` parameter), the result can be picked up at a later stage using the `tapresume` command.

Table uploads are supported, so it is possible (if the service supports this functionality), to upload a local table to the remote database, perform a query involving it, such as a join with a remote table of some sort, and receive the result. This powerful facility gives you crossmatches between local and remote tables.

For services that require authentication, you will need to supply your credentials as described in Section 5.4. Otherwise, queries will be submitted anonymously by default, but you can force a login attempt to services with optional authentication by setting `auth=true`.

This command does not provide any facility for querying the service for either table or capability metadata, so you will need to know about the service capabilities and database structure from some other source (possibly TOPCAT).

- B.29.1 Usage
- B.29.2 Examples

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STILTS - Starlink Tables Infrastructure Library Tool Set
Starlink User Note256
STILTS web page: http://www.starlink.ac.uk/stilts/
Author email: m.b.taylor@bristol.ac.uk
Mailing list: topcat-user@jiscmail.ac.uk