Use Case: Expression Embedding

The Directive

The Multi-Query expression directive is a single token that the BizFirst expression engine recognizes and resolves at evaluation time. The engine finds the template by its catalogue code, injects the TenantID from context, resolves any additional parameters from the EvaluationContext, executes the nested SQL tree, and returns the output inline.

Basic form (JSON output)

{{multi-query:sqlserver.TEMPLATE_CODE}}

JSON output — explicit

{{multi-query:sqlserver.TEMPLATE_CODE|outputFormat=json}}

HTML fragment (embeds inside existing page)

{{multi-query:sqlserver.TEMPLATE_CODE|outputFormat=html|outputFormatTemplate=fragment}}

HTML standalone (complete self-contained document)

{{multi-query:sqlserver.TEMPLATE_CODE|outputFormat=html|outputFormatTemplate=standalone}}

Pipe-delimited options in the directive override the defaults stored in the template's options block, allowing a single template to serve both JSON consumers (APIs, workflow logic) and HTML consumers (reports, emails) without duplication.

Where Expressions Are Used

The directive works anywhere the BizFirst expression engine evaluates a string. This covers the entire platform surface:

Example: Payroll Report in an Email

A workflow node generates a department payroll report and attaches it as the body of an outbound email notification. The email template references the Multi-Query directive with the HTML standalone format so the email client receives a fully styled, self-contained table with no external dependencies.

{
  "nodeType": "SendEmail",
  "to": "{{context.ManagerEmail}}",
  "subject": "Payroll Report — {{context.DepartmentName}} — {{context.PeriodLabel}}",
  "body": "{{multi-query:sqlserver.PAYROLL_REPORT_DEPT|outputFormat=html|outputFormatTemplate=standalone}}",
  "isBodyHtml": true
}

When the workflow engine evaluates the body field, it resolves the directive using the current EvaluationContext, which must contain DepartmentID and any other parameters declared in the PAYROLL_REPORT_DEPT template. The result — a complete HTML payroll table — replaces the directive token in the outgoing email.

Passing Parameters via EvaluationContext

Template parameters (other than TenantID) are resolved from the EvaluationContext at directive evaluation time. The EvaluationContext is the runtime key-value bag that the FlowEngine, Atlas, or AppStudio host populates before invoking the expression engine.

For the directive to find its parameters, the name values in the template's parameters array must match keys present in the EvaluationContext (case-insensitive).

// Template parameters declaration (inside the stored QueryTemplate JSON)
"parameters": [
  { "name": "DepartmentID", "type": "int",      "defaultValue": null },
  { "name": "PeriodStart",  "type": "datetime", "defaultValue": null },
  { "name": "PeriodEnd",    "type": "datetime", "defaultValue": null }
]

// EvaluationContext provided by the workflow node at runtime
{
  "DepartmentID": 14,
  "PeriodStart":  "2025-11-01",
  "PeriodEnd":    "2025-11-30",
  "ManagerEmail": "sarah.thompson@acme.com",
  "DepartmentName": "Engineering",
  "PeriodLabel":  "November 2025"
}

The expression engine extracts DepartmentID, PeriodStart, and PeriodEnd from the context and passes them as SQL parameters. The remaining context keys (ManagerEmail, etc.) are used by other tokens in the same template string and are ignored by the Multi-Query resolver.