> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.apica.io/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://docs.apica.io/data-sources/ascent-synthetics/checks.md).
# 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 %}