Get a sql view to persist in a CartoDB visualization

Question

I'm new to CartoDB and so far impressed. But I'm struggling with how to get a sql query to persist in a visualization. I type it in, like 'SELECT * FROM env_feedlots where active = 'Y' and BIRDS > 0', hit "Apply", and see the effects in the map. But I get a throbber in my browser tab that never seems to die.

And then, when returning to the visualization, it seems the sql query is gone.

Here's a link to my viz: http://cdb.io/1ncUdG7

When you load it up, if you see my sql query, you'll see clusters of dark blue in the central and southeast portions of the state, and very light blues in the southwest. It seems like that works through the "public map" link. But why doesn't it "keep" when I return to the visualization through my dashboard?

Edit: I found a "fix", if I click "clear this sql view", I can start over, re-type the SQL I want, click "Apply", and it will persist. But that begs the question: why can't I ADD to an existing SQL query and have that addition persist?

Answer 1

When you apply an SELECT SQL query from the CartoDB editor, a green bar appears as a header with two options: create table from query and clear view. Moreover, your table view gets updated with the contents that fulfill the applied SQL query.

However, when you expand this query by adding some additional filtering parameter (or replace the applied query with an UPDATE statement) and hit the Apply button, the new query may have not effect. The reason behind this is that when you perform a SQL query, your table gets updated with the contents that match such query (you may think of this as a filtered version of your table).

Therefore, you need to clear your SQL query each time you want to perform new queries on your original table (or on data that do not appear on your filtered table).