---
title: "Query data directly | Grafana Labs"
description: "Explore is where you pick a data source and write a query, without building a dashboard"
---

> For a curated documentation index, see [llms.txt](/llms.txt). For the complete documentation index, see [llms-full.txt](/llms-full.txt).

Section 3 · Look around Grafana

Explore is where you pick a data source and write a query, without building a dashboard

Estimated time: 1 min

## Query data directly

When clicking filters isn’t specific enough, **Explore** is the page for working with your data directly. You pick a **data source**, which is a connection to a place that already holds your data, and write a query. You don’t need to build a dashboard first.

## Why it matters

Not every question about your data is worth a permanent page. Explore gives you a place to answer the one-offs. You run a query, look at the result, adjust it, and run it again until you see what you need. If a query turns out to be worth keeping, you can build a dashboard around it later. For now, it’s enough to know the page exists.

## See for yourself

The guide below shows you where Explore lives, the data source picker, and a query that comes back as a chart. It runs on Grafana Play, where Explore opens with a working query, so you don’t need an account.

#### Use Explore to query data without building a dashboard

Complete this interactive guide in the Grafana Play stack with an interactive learning experience.

[Try in Grafana Play]()