# Inserting multiple columns at once in InfluxDB

**URL:** <https://discourse.nodered.org/t/inserting-multiple-columns-at-once-in-influxdb/19124>\
**Category:** General\
**Created:** [13 December 2019 22:06 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/inserting-multiple-columns-at-once-in-influxdb/19124 "2019-12-13T22:06:27Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![X99](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex026/user_avatar/discourse.nodered.org/x99/32/15114_2.png) [@X99](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/X99)\
**Post date:** [13 December 2019 22:06 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/inserting-multiple-columns-at-once-in-influxdb/19124/1 "2019-12-13T22:06:27Z")

</div>

Hi.

I'm kind of new to NodeRed, so pardon me if this question seems obvious.

I'm pushing datas from a BMP085 sensor to a MQTT broker. This data is then retrieved and processed into NodeRed and stored into InfluxDB.

This is the data straight from MQTT:

 ![image](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex026/uploads/nodered/original/2X/c/ce56c0d304737f6cdf1cbdb4c956d1e69ec25049.png)

Then, the data is formatted using a function node:

```auto
var tokens = msg.topic.split("/");
var payload = (
    {
        measurement: tokens[2]+tokens[3],
        fields: {
            "temp": msg.payload.temp,
            "press": msg.payload.press,
            "alt": msg.payload.alt,
            "SLP": msg.payload.SLP,
            "RA": msg.payload.RA
        },
        tags: {
            tag1: "i'm a tag",
            tag2: "hello"
        },
        timestamp: new Date()
    }
);
node.send({payload});

```

Then it passes through a JSON node, and finally to an InfluxDB node. The data is written info the database, but clearly not the way I'd like to.

My goal here is to have a table (er, I mean "a measurement"), with:

- the name of the measurement being the room name + the sensor name (here "workshopBMP085")
- each value ("temp", "press"...) representing a column.

But I can't get it right.

First, the measurement name is "workshop", no matter how I format. At the beginning I wanted it to be "tokens[2]+"-"+tokens[3]", but I couldn't make it work.

Next, and this is the worst part, the measurement only contains 2 columns: timestamp and the whole JSON object stuffed into a single column (snapshot from Chronograf) :

 ![image](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex026/uploads/nodered/original/2X/c/c0bfe11f057f5951eadfd5675194dc804601a0ff.png)

Can someone tell me what am I doing wrong?

If it can help, here is the whole flow:

```auto
[{"id":"92bba980.922ad8","type":"function","z":"821ed147.a04a9","name":"Formatting","func":"var tokens = msg.topic.split(\"/\");\nvar payload = (\n {\n measurement: tokens[2]+tokens[3],\n fields: {\n \"temp\": msg.payload.temp,\n \"press\": msg.payload.press,\n \"alt\": msg.payload.alt,\n \"SLP\": msg.payload.SLP,\n \"RA\": msg.payload.RA\n },\n tags: {\n tag1: \"i'm a tag\",\n tag2: \"hello\"\n },\n timestamp: new Date()\n }\n);\nnode.send({payload});","outputs":1,"noerr":0,"x":210,"y":240,"wires":[["79459d7d.584724"]]}]

```

Thanks a lot in advance.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![X99](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex026/user_avatar/discourse.nodered.org/x99/32/15114_2.png) [@X99](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/X99)\
**Post date:** [13 December 2019 22:30 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/inserting-multiple-columns-at-once-in-influxdb/19124/2 "2019-12-13T22:30:47Z")

</div>

I found the solution, finally. [RTFM they said](https://flows.nodered.org/node/node-red-contrib-influxdb)...

Anyway, here is the flow code:

```auto
[{"id":"821ed147.a04a9","type":"tab","label":"Sensors","disabled":false,"info":""},{"id":"3d43f4f9.77f9cc","type":"mqtt in","z":"821ed147.a04a9","name":"sensors/home/workshop/BMP085","topic":"sensors/home/workshop/BMP085","qos":"2","datatype":"json","broker":"544a35ca.82bdbc","x":160,"y":140,"wires":[["92bba980.922ad8","2c7681a0.8eccde"]]},{"id":"2c7681a0.8eccde","type":"debug","z":"821ed147.a04a9","name":"","active":true,"tosidebar":true,"console":false,"tostatus":false,"complete":"true","targetType":"full","x":570,"y":140,"wires":[]},{"id":"2d0c5747.04bf28","type":"influxdb out","z":"821ed147.a04a9","influxdb":"f0fe03f1.28cb6","name":"workshop-BMP085","measurement":"workshop-BMP085","precision":"s","retentionPolicy":"","x":570,"y":240,"wires":[]},{"id":"92bba980.922ad8","type":"function","z":"821ed147.a04a9","name":"Formatting","func":"var data = {\n temp: msg.payload.temp,\n press: msg.payload.press,\n alt: msg.payload.alt,\n SLP: msg.payload.SLP,\n RA: msg.payload.RA\n}\nmsg.payload = data\nreturn msg","outputs":1,"noerr":0,"x":210,"y":240,"wires":[["2d0c5747.04bf28","c3b1779b.ea8c38"]]},{"id":"c3b1779b.ea8c38","type":"debug","z":"821ed147.a04a9","name":"","active":true,"tosidebar":true,"console":false,"tostatus":false,"complete":"payload","targetType":"msg","x":590,"y":360,"wires":[]},{"id":"64c2e370.049afc","type":"inject","z":"821ed147.a04a9","name":"","topic":"","payload":"","payloadType":"date","repeat":"","crontab":"","once":false,"onceDelay":"","x":180,"y":660,"wires":[["6c6bf02d.8ac09"]]},{"id":"6c6bf02d.8ac09","type":"function","z":"821ed147.a04a9","name":"Fields","func":"msg.payload = {\n numValue: 123.0,\n strValue: \"message\",\n randomValue: Math.random()*10\n}\nreturn msg;","outputs":1,"noerr":0,"x":328,"y":660,"wires":[["54de52b9.99ad0c"]]},{"id":"54de52b9.99ad0c","type":"influxdb out","z":"821ed147.a04a9","influxdb":"1ed2b814.fe29c8","name":"","measurement":"test","x":498,"y":660,"wires":[]},{"id":"544a35ca.82bdbc","type":"mqtt-broker","z":"","name":"broker.x99.fr","broker":"172.18.0.14","port":"1883","clientid":"","usetls":false,"compatmode":false,"keepalive":"60","cleansession":true,"birthTopic":"","birthQos":"0","birthPayload":"","closeTopic":"","closeQos":"0","closePayload":"","willTopic":"","willQos":"0","willPayload":""},{"id":"f0fe03f1.28cb6","type":"influxdb","z":"","hostname":"influxdb","port":"8086","protocol":"http","database":"nodered","name":"","usetls":false,"tls":""},{"id":"1ed2b814.fe29c8","type":"influxdb","z":"821ed147.a04a9","hostname":"127.0.0.1","port":"8086","database":"aTimeSeries","name":"aTimeSeries"}]

```