elastic/elasticsearch

ESQL should support a humanize option to quickly render values in human readable way.

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#136533 opened on Oct 14, 2025

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 (17 comments) (0 reactions) (0 assignees)Java (76,700 stars) (25,882 forks)batch import
:Analytics/ES|QL>enhancementTeam:Analyticsgood first issue

Description

Description

When you deal with any sort of value that is in a unit that is not easy to comprehend as a human, like duration_in_nanos it is annoying to always have to manually perform some calculations like eval duration = duration_in_nanos / 1000 / 1000 to get to seconds resolution.

I would like to have a simple to_human(field, unit) and a to_human(field, unit, target_unit) conversion. It should support:

  • Duration
  • Bits (1000)
  • Bytes (1024)
  • Percent

We need two signatures for that function since sometimes I might not want to rely on the auto conversation and I want to fix everything to be displayed in GB. Otherwise I might end up with values of KB, MB, TB and so on in the same column.

Contributor guide

Tech stack
java
Domain
backenddatabase
Issue type
feature
DifficultyEstimated implementation difficulty for a new contributor, from 1 for very small changes to 5 for expert-level work.
3
Estimated timeA rough time range for an experienced contributor to investigate, implement, test, and prepare a pull request.
1-2 days
Activity statusHow available the issue appears right now: fresh, active, stale, blocked, or waiting on maintainer input.
active
ClarityHow clearly the issue explains the expected change, acceptance criteria, and next step.
clear
Prerequisites
JavaElasticsearch internalsESQL function implementation
Newbie friendlinessA 1-100 score estimating how approachable this issue is for first-time contributors.
60
Research direction
Look at existing ESQL functions like `date trunc` or `to string` in the Elasticsearch codebase, specifically in the `x pack/plugin/esql` module. Review the function registration and evaluation pattern. The issue defines two signatures. Consider the need for unit conversion and ensure the function handles different units (duration, bits, bytes, percent). Check any ongoing discussions in the comments for preferred implementation approach.