# Checks
### Follow the steps below to create and execute a query using the Ascent Checks Data Source.
***
### 1. Go to the Queries Page
* Navigate to the queries page in your dashboard to begin
* In the Queries page, click on the "New Query" button to start a new query
### 2. Select "Ascent Checks" from the Left Sidebar
* On the left sidebar, click on **Ascent Checks**. This will display a list of all available checks that you can query.
### 3. Expand a check to uncover more details
* From the list, expand the check you want to query by clicking on it. This will show more details about the check.
### 4. Append the CheckID to the Query Editor to consume this check.
* Click on the right arrow next to the check id to append it to the query editor
### 5. Add Duration or Start/End Date
* **To use a specific time range**, enter the **start** and **end** times as Unix epoch values.
* **To query relative durations**, use the **duration** option with a human-readable format (e.g., `1d` for one day, `2h` for two hours, etc.)
* Example:
* **Start**: `1609459200` (Unix epoch for the start time)
* **End**: `1609545600` (Unix epoch for the end time)
* **Duration**: `1d` (relative to the current time)
### 6. Execute the Query
* Once your query is complete, click on **Execute** to run the query and see the results.
{% hint style="info" %}
### Check Data Source Query Options
The query for the **Ascent Checks Data Source** is written in **YAML** format. The following options are supported:
* **check\_id** (Mandatory):\
The `check_id` refers to the **checkguid** of the check. You can find this in the sidebar when expanding a check.
* **start (mandatory if no duration)**:\
The **start** time, provided as a Unix epoch value, defines the beginning of the time range for your query.
* **end (mandatory if no duration)**:\
The **end** time, also in Unix epoch format, defines the end of the time range for your query.
* **duration (mandatory if no start/end)**:\
A human-readable format for relative durations. It supports the following units:
* `s` for seconds
* `m` for minutes
* `h` for hours
* `d` for days\
Example: `2d` for two days ago, `1h` for one hour ago.
* **limit(optional)**:\
The **limit** option allows you to specify the maximum number of check results to retrieve. This helps to control the size of the query results.
***
#### Query Execution Notes
* By default, results are sorted by time in **descending** chronological order.
{% endhint %}
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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.apica.io/data-sources/ascent-synthetics/checks.md?ask=
```
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.