Saving Models

Using Laravel-Elasticsearch integration allows developers to save models in a way that aligns with the typical Eloquent patterns used in Laravel, making it easier to switch from or use alongside traditional relational models.

Save a New Model

Option A: Attribute Assigning

Create a new model instance, assign attributes individually, and then save it to the Elasticsearch index. This method is direct and reflects common Laravel ORM practices.

$log = new UserLog;
$log->user_id = $userId;
$log->title = $title;
$log->status = 1;
$log->save();

Demonstrates creating and saving a new model instance by setting each attribute separately.

Explain

Option B: Mass Assignment via create()

Use the create() method for mass assigning model attributes through an associative array, streamlining the creation and saving of a model instance.

$log = UserLog::create([
    'user_id' => $userId,
    'title' => $title,
    'status' => 1,
]);

Note

The create() method respects the $fillable and $guarded attributes for secure attribute handling.

Updating a Model

Update models in Elasticsearch following Eloquent’s methodology: fetch a model, modify its attributes, and then call save().

$log = UserLog::where('status', 1)->first();
$log->status = 2;
$log->save();

Fetch the first User Log with a status of 1, change its status to 2, then save the updated model.

Explain

For updates affecting multiple documents, employ the update() method on a query builder instance, which allows for bulk modifications based on query conditions.

Product::where('status', 1)->update(['status' => 4]);

//

$updates will indicate the number of documents updated.

Inserting Models

Insert models similarly to Eloquent’s approach, where you pass an array of arrays, each representing a document to be created.

UserLog::insert([
    ['user_id' => 'John_Doe'],
    ['user_id' => 'Jane_Doe'],
]);

Insert two records into the UserLog index.

Explain

For performance optimization, utilize withoutRefresh() to skip waiting for the index to refresh after insertions.

UserLog::withoutRefresh()->insert([
    ['user_id' => 'John_Doe'],
    ['user_id' => 'Jane_Doe'],
]);

bulkInsert()

bulkInsert() is identical to insert() but will continue on errors and return an array of the results.

People::bulkInsert([
    [
        'id' => '_edo3ZUBnJmuNNwymfhJ', // Will update (if id exists)
        'name' => 'Jane Doe',
        'status' => 1,
    ],
    [
        'name' => 'John Doe',  // Will Create
        'status' => 2,
    ],
    [
        'name' => 'John Dope',
        'status' => 3,
        'created_at' => 'xxxxxx', // Will fail
    ],
]);

Returns:

{
    "hasErrors": true,
    "total": 3,
    "took": 0,
    "success": 2,
    "created": 1,
    "modified": 1,
    "failed": 1,
    "errors": [
        {
            "id": "Y-dp3ZUBnJmuNNwy7vkF",
            "type": "document_parsing_exception",
            "reason": "[1:45] failed to parse field [created_at] of type [date] in document with id 'Y-dp3ZUBnJmuNNwy7vkF'. Preview of field's value: 'xxxxxx'"
        }
    ]
}

Fast Saves

Elasticsearch provides a near real-time index, meaning there is a brief delay between indexing a document and its availability for search. Optimize write-heavy operations by skipping the wait with withoutRefresh().

$log->withoutRefresh()->save();

and

UserLog::withoutRefresh()->create($attributes);

Caution

Saving without refreshing the index may result in a slight delay before the data is available for search.

If you need to update attributes after saving then do not use withoutRefresh() as subsequent updates will not be saved.

$log = new UserLog;
$log->user_id = $userId;
$log->title = $title;
$log->status = 1;

$log->withoutRefresh()->save();

$log->company_id = 'ABC-123';
$log->withoutRefresh()->save(); // company_id will not be saved

First Or Create

The firstOrCreate() method either retrieves a model matching the specified attributes or creates a new one if no match exists, with distinct arrays for search attributes and new values.

$book = Book::firstOrCreate(
    ['title' => $title, 'author' => $author], // search attributes
    ['description' => $description, 'stock' => 0] // attributes for creation
);

Searches for a book with specified title and author. If found, returns it; if not, creates and returns a new book with additional details.

Explain

First Or Create Without Refresh

Enhance firstOrCreate() with withoutRefresh() to forgo index refreshing when speed is prioritized over immediate data retrieval.

$book = Book::withoutRefresh()->firstOrCreate(
    ['title' => $title,'author' => $author], //$attributes
    ['description' => $description, 'stock' => 0] //values
 );

Searches and creates without delay, making the book available in the index with a slight delay.

Explain

Update Or Create Without Refresh

Enhance updateOrCreate() with withoutRefresh() to forgo index refreshing when speed is prioritized over immediate data retrieval.

$book = Book::withoutRefresh()->updateOrCreate(
    ['title' => $title,'author' => $author], //$attributes
    ['description' => $description, 'stock' => 0] //values
 );

Searches and updates without delay, making the book available in the index with a slight delay.

Explain