--- title: About queries slug: l25h0358 canonical_url: https://docs.coveo.com/en/l25h0358/ collection: searching-with-coveo source_format: adoc --- # About queries A [query](https://docs.coveo.com/en/231.md) is a set of one or more expressions sent to an [index](https://docs.coveo.com/en/204.md) to return matching relevant [items](https://docs.coveo.com/en/210.md). By entering a query that's relevant to the items you want to retrieve, Coveo delivers relevant search results through [intelligent search features](https://docs.coveo.com/en/2760.md) from various amounts of data. To understand the complexity of the search operations that can be executed, it's important to understand what exactly counts as query in a Coveo implementation. > **Notes** > > * As a rule of thumb, whenever search results are updated, you can be fairly certain that a query was performed. > > * Technically, each call to the `/rest/search/v2` (or `/rest/search`) Search API route counts as a query. > However, queries don't all count against your organization's [queries per month (QPM)](https://docs.coveo.com/en/1391.md) [entitlement](https://docs.coveo.com/en/q39f0167.md). > > * The sections in this article provide examples of what does and doesn't count as a query. > You can refer to the [query entitlement metric](https://docs.coveo.com/en/1855.md#query-types) for more detailed information. ## What counts as a query Queries can take many forms, but some of the most common are: * **Search**: An end user types in the search box and presses `Enter`, or clicks **Submit**. * **Listing pages**: An end user uses a Coveo-powered listing page that renders results without a manual query. In commerce, product listing requests have special [entitlements](https://docs.coveo.com/en/q39f0167.md) if you've signed with Coveo before July 28, 2025. For more information, see [product listing entitlements](https://docs.coveo.com/en/l2ib0560.md#product-listings) and your [**License & Usage**](https://platform.cloud.coveo.com/admin/#/orgid/organization/license-and-usage) ([platform-ca](https://platform-ca.cloud.coveo.com/admin/#/orgid/organization/license-and-usage) | [platform-eu](https://platform-eu.cloud.coveo.com/admin/#/orgid/organization/license-and-usage) | [platform-au](https://platform-au.cloud.coveo.com/admin/#/orgid/organization/license-and-usage)) page. * **Applying filters**: An end user filters the search results by selecting a [tab](https://docs.coveo.com/en/1406.md), toggling [facet](https://docs.coveo.com/en/198.md) values, etc. * **Sort**: An end user changes the sort criteria or the direction of search results. * **Paging**: An end user resizes the current page, or navigates to a specific page of the search results. * **Document suggestions on a [case deflection](https://docs.coveo.com/en/2911.md) interface**: An end user is creating a case. As they fill the case, relevant item suggestions are updated to reflect the user's needs. A new query is sent to the index every time the suggestions are updated. * **[Case Classification](https://docs.coveo.com/en/m4596348.md)** requests using the [**Case Similarity**](https://docs.coveo.com/en/3328.md#configuring-the-case-classification-functionality) method. * **[search-as-you-type](https://docs.coveo.com/en/2068.md)**: Each individual keystroke counts as a distinct query when the [search-as-you-type feature is enabled](https://docs.coveo.com/en/305.md#step-5-add-a-search-as-you-type-option) in a search box. > **Notes** > > * You can control the number of characters required to trigger query suggestions. > See [Provide search box suggestions](https://docs.coveo.com/en/340.md) to learn how. > > * The default delay of which item suggestions are updated varies depending on the Coveo integration you're using: > > ** When using the Coveo for Salesforce [CaseDeflection Component](https://docs.coveo.com/en/2758.md), you can adjust the query delay through the [`queryDelay`](https://docs.coveo.com/en/2758.md#querydelay) option. > > ** When using the Coveo for ServiceNow [Case Deflection widget](https://docs.coveo.com/en/2853.md), you can adjust the query delay through the [Minimum time between automatic queries option](https://docs.coveo.com/en/2853.md#coveo-case-deflection-widget-options). ## What isn't counted as a query Here are a few examples of actions that aren't counted as queries: * **Clicks**: Clicking a search result isn't counted as a query. * Coveo ML **[Content Recommendation (CR)](https://docs.coveo.com/en/1016.md)** and **[Product Recommendation (PR)](https://docs.coveo.com/en/3132.md)** models: Receiving these recommendations counts against a recommendations per month (RPM) entitlement. * Coveo ML **[IPX Recommendation (IPXRECS)](https://docs.coveo.com/en/p6hh0418.md)** model: Receiving recommendations in an IPX [search interface](https://docs.coveo.com/en/2741.md) counts against the RPM entitlement. One RPM is consumed per list of generated IPX recommendations. + > **Note** > > Searching in an IPX [search interface](https://docs.coveo.com/en/2741.md) triggers a search request, which counts against the [queries per month (QPM)](https://docs.coveo.com/en/1391.md) [entitlement](https://docs.coveo.com/en/q39f0167.md). * Coveo ML **[Query Suggestion (QS)](https://docs.coveo.com/en/1015.md)** model: Getting [query suggestions](https://docs.coveo.com/en/1015.md) in a search box isn't counted as a query. However, selecting a rendered query suggestion triggers a search request, which then counts as a query. + This applies to: * Facet value suggestions * Field suggestions * Coveo ML [query suggestions](https://docs.coveo.com/en/1015.md), including [Predictive Query Suggestions (PQS)](https://docs.coveo.com/en/m1ol5526.md) > **Important** > > Query suggestions are different from [search-as-you-type](https://docs.coveo.com/en/2068.md), which requests entirely new results on each keystroke. * **Quick view**: Opening a Quick view for a search result isn't counted as a query. * **Searching in a facet search box**: Using a facet search box to find a value, such as a filter, isn't counted as a query itself. However, selecting, deselecting, or excluding the value counts as a query. + ![Searching in a facet search box | Coveo](https://docs.coveo.com/en/assets/images/index-content/facet-search-box.png) * **OPTIONS requests**: In your browser's Network log, you might notice an OPTIONS request to a Coveo URL. This is a preflight permission check before a GET or POST request (that is, a real query) is logged, and it isn't counted as a query. OPTIONS requests aren't Coveo-specific and don't impact your Coveo license usage or analytics.