diff --git a/packages/core/src/backend/data-source/queries.ts b/packages/core/src/backend/data-source/queries.ts
index 2ae49ca..df83512 100644
--- a/packages/core/src/backend/data-source/queries.ts
+++ b/packages/core/src/backend/data-source/queries.ts
@@ -1,92 +1,98 @@
 export const DIRECTIVE_MAP = {
 	'=': 'equals',
 	'!=': 'not-equals',
-	'<': 'greater-than',
-	'>': 'less-than',
-	'<=': 'greater-than-equal',
-	'>=': 'less-than-equal',
+	'>=': 'greater-than-equal',
+	'<=': 'less-than-equal',
+	'>': 'greater-than',
+	'<': 'less-than',
 };
 
 export const DATA_SOURCE_QUERY_OPERATORS = Object.keys(DIRECTIVE_MAP) as (keyof typeof DIRECTIVE_MAP)[];
 
 export type DataSourceQueryOperator = typeof DATA_SOURCE_QUERY_OPERATORS[number];
 
-export interface DataSourceQuery {
+export interface DataSourceOperatorQuery {
 	lhs: string;
 	operator: DataSourceQueryOperator;
 	rhs: string;
 }
 
+export interface DataSourceFunctionQuery {
+	name: string;
+	args: string[];
+}
+
+export type DataSourceQuery = DataSourceOperatorQuery | DataSourceFunctionQuery;
+
 interface ConvertToDataSourceQueryCollectionOptions {
 }
 
 const parseDirectives = (valueRaw: string) => {
-	let operator = '=';
-
-	let hasDirective: boolean;
-	let valueTest = valueRaw.toLowerCase();
-	let valuePredicate = valueRaw;
-	const fragments = valueTest.split('.');
-	const directiveShorthands = Object.values(DIRECTIVE_MAP).map((s) => {
-		// TODO how to parse?
-	})
-	do {
-		hasDirective = false;
-
-		if (valueTest.startsWith('.neq.')) {
-			operator = '!=';
-
-			valueTest = valueTest.slice('.neq.'.length);
-			valuePredicate = valuePredicate.slice('.neq.'.length);
-			hasDirective = true;
-		} else if (valueTest.startsWith('.gt.eq.')) {
-			operator = '>=';
-
-			valueTest = valueTest.slice('.gt.eq.'.length);
-			valuePredicate = valuePredicate.slice('.gt.eq.'.length);
-			hasDirective = true;
-		} else if (valueTest.startsWith('.gte.')) {
-			operator = '>=';
-
-			valueTest = valueTest.slice('.gte.'.length);
-			valuePredicate = valuePredicate.slice('.gte.'.length);
-			hasDirective = true;
-		} else if (valueTest.startsWith('.lt.eq.')) {
-			operator = '<=';
-
-			valueTest = valueTest.slice('.lt.eq.'.length);
-			valuePredicate = valuePredicate.slice('.lt.eq.'.length);
-			hasDirective = true;
-		} else if (valueTest.startsWith('.lte.')) {
-			operator = '<=';
-
-			valueTest = valueTest.slice('.lte.'.length);
-			valuePredicate = valuePredicate.slice('.lte.'.length);
-			hasDirective = true;
-		} else if (valueTest.startsWith('.gt.')) {
-			operator = '>';
-
-			valueTest = valueTest.slice('.gt.'.length);
-			valuePredicate = valuePredicate.slice('.gt.'.length);
-			hasDirective = true;
-		} else if (valueTest.startsWith('.lt.')) {
-			operator = '<';
-
-			valueTest = valueTest.slice('.lt.'.length);
-			valuePredicate = valuePredicate.slice('.lt.'.length);
-			hasDirective = true;
-		} else if (valueTest.startsWith('.eq.')) {
-			operator = '=';
-
-			valueTest = valueTest.slice('.eq.'.length);
-			valuePredicate = valuePredicate.slice('.eq.'.length);
-			hasDirective = true;
-		}
-	} while (hasDirective);
+	const fragments = valueRaw.split('.');
+
+	if (!(
+		fragments.length > 1 && fragments[0].length === 0
+	)) {
+		return {
+			operator: '=',
+			rhs: valueRaw,
+		};
+	}
+
+	const theOperator = fragments.slice(1, -1).reduce(
+		(theState, f) => {
+			const whichDirective = Object.entries(DIRECTIVE_MAP).find(
+				([, match]) => {
+					const remainingChars = match.split('').reduce(
+						(rem, matchChar) => {
+							if (matchChar === rem.charAt(0)) {
+								return rem.slice(1);
+							}
+
+							return rem;
+						},
+						f.toLowerCase()
+					);
+
+					return remainingChars.length <= 0;
+				},
+			);
+
+			const selectedOperator = whichDirective?.[0] ?? theState.operator;
+
+			if (selectedOperator === '=') {
+				if (theState.operator === '>') {
+					return {
+						...theState,
+						operator: '>=',
+						currentToken: `${theState.currentToken}${f}`,
+					};
+				}
+
+				if (theState.operator === '<') {
+					return {
+						...theState,
+						operator: '<=',
+						currentToken: `${theState.currentToken}${f}`,
+					};
+				}
+			}
+
+			return {
+				...theState,
+				operator: selectedOperator,
+				currentToken: `${theState.currentToken}${f}`,
+			};
+		},
+		{
+			operator: undefined as (string | undefined),
+			currentToken: '',
+		},
+	);
 
 	return {
-		operator,
-		rhs: valuePredicate,
+		operator: theOperator.operator ?? '=',
+		rhs: fragments.at(-1),
 	};
 };
 
diff --git a/packages/core/test/features/query.test.ts b/packages/core/test/features/query.test.ts
index 7af9586..5c48e63 100644
--- a/packages/core/test/features/query.test.ts
+++ b/packages/core/test/features/query.test.ts
@@ -78,11 +78,24 @@ describe('query', () => {
 		]);
 	});
 
-	it('returns a greater than or equal expression query', () => {
+	it.only('returns a greater than or equal expression query', () => {
+		// expect(
+		// 	convertToDataSourceQueryCollection(
+		// 		new URLSearchParams({
+		// 			attr: '.gt.eq.foo'
+		// 		})
+		// 	)
+		// ).toEqual([
+		// 	{
+		// 		lhs: 'attr',
+		// 		operator: '>=',
+		// 		rhs: '"foo"',
+		// 	},
+		// ]);
 		expect(
 			convertToDataSourceQueryCollection(
 				new URLSearchParams({
-					attr: '.gt.eq.foo'
+					attr: '.gte.foo'
 				})
 			)
 		).toEqual([
@@ -92,19 +105,34 @@ describe('query', () => {
 				rhs: '"foo"',
 			},
 		]);
+
 		expect(
 			convertToDataSourceQueryCollection(
 				new URLSearchParams({
-					attr: '.gte.foo'
+					attr: '.neq.test'
 				})
 			)
 		).toEqual([
 			{
 				lhs: 'attr',
-				operator: '>=',
-				rhs: '"foo"',
+				operator: '!=',
+				rhs: '"test"',
 			},
 		]);
+
+		// expect(
+		// 	convertToDataSourceQueryCollection(
+		// 		new URLSearchParams({
+		// 			attr: '.gte.foo..test'
+		// 		})
+		// 	)
+		// ).toEqual([
+		// 	{
+		// 		lhs: 'attr',
+		// 		operator: '>=',
+		// 		rhs: '"foo.test"',
+		// 	},
+		// ]);
 	});
 
 	it('returns a less than or equal expression query', () => {