# Table Expressions

> Table expressions in AQL are queries that return tabular output, letting you chain table functions with the pipe operator to filter, select, and join data.

Table expressions are expressions that represent a query that returns a table output, similar to SQL. They are typically [Table Functions](/reference/aql/function#table-functions) combined using the [AQL pipe operator](/reference/aql/operator#pipe).

### Structure
```aml
model_name 
| table_function1 (optional)
| table_function2 (optional)
| ...
```

### Examples

This table expresion is equivalent to `select * from users` in SQL:
```aml
users
```

Selecting a subset of fields:
```aml
users | select(users.id, users.gender)
```

Filtering data with [filter function](/reference/aql/filter):
```aml
users
| filter(gender == 'Female')
| select(id, name)
```
There is no need for explicitly joins like in SQL for **cross-model select**:
```aml
users
| select(users.name, country.name)
```