Indexes
Reference: Index definitions |
---|
An index stores, or covers, specific document field values for quick retrieval. You can use indexes to filter and sort a collection’s documents in a performant way.
Using indexes can significantly improve query performance and reduce costs, especially for large datasets. Unindexed queries should be avoided.
Define an index
You create and manage indexes at the collection level as part of an FSL collection schema. An index definition can include:
-
Terms: Document fields for exact match searches
-
Values: Document fields for sorting and range searches
You can only index persistable field values.
An index definition must include at least one term or value. A collection can include multiple index definitions:
collection Product {
...
// Defines the `byName()` index.
index byName {
// `terms` are document fields for exact match searches.
// In this example, you get `Product` collection documents
// by their `name` field value.
terms [.name]
// `values` are document fields for sorting and range searches.
// In this example, you sort or filter index results by their
// descending `stock` field value.
values [desc(.stock)]
}
...
}
You manage and submit schemas to Fauna using the Fauna Dashboard or Fauna CLI.
Index builds
When you submit a collection schema with a new or updated index definition, Fauna starts an index build.
During the build, the index stores, or covers, these fields for each document in the collection. During a build, the index may not be queryable.
If the collection contains more than 128 documents, Fauna uses a background task to build the index. The limit prevents an excessive number of concurrent builds.
System collection
Fauna stores schemas for user-defined collections, including their index
definitions, as documents in the Collection
system collection. These
documents act as an FQL version of the FSL collection schema. You can use
Collection methods to
access index definitions in FQL.
Call an index
In an FQL query, you call an index as a method on its collection:
// Call the `byName()` index to fet `Product` collection
// documents with a `name` value of `limes`. Values must
// match exactly.
Product.byName("limes")
The call returns a set of matching collection documents.
Reference: FQL index method docs |
---|
Terms
You can use index terms to run exact match searches on document field values.
Run an exact match search
The following index definition includes name
as an index term:
collection Product {
...
index byName {
terms [.name]
}
...
}
When you call the index, you must pass an argument for each term in the index definition.
// Get products named "limes"
Product.byName("limes")
The call returns a set of Product
collection documents with a name
of
limes
.
Pass multiple index terms
The following index definition includes two index terms:
collection Customer {
...
index byName {
terms [.firstName, .lastName]
}
}
In an index call, use a comma to separate term arguments. Provide arguments in the same field order used in the index definition.
// Get customers named "Alice Appleseed"
Customer.byName("Alice", "Appleseed")
The call returns a set of matching collection documents.
Missing or null
terms
If an index definition contains terms, Fauna doesn’t index a document if all
its index terms are missing or otherwise evaluate to null
. This applies even
if the document contains index values.
Best practices for index terms
Avoid using frequently updated fields as index terms.
Internally, Fauna partitions indexes based on its terms, if present. Frequent updates to term field values trigger updates to these partitions.
If you need to filter or run an exact match search on a frequently updated field, consider adding the field as an index value instead:
collection Product {
...
// Defines the `sortedByName()` index.
// The index includes the `name` field as an index value.
// `name` is a frequently updated field.
index sortedByName {
values [.name, .description, .price]
}
}
Then use the index to run a range search on the index value:
// Uses the `sortedByName()` index to run a range search
// on `name` field values. The query only retrieves `Product`
// collection documents with a `name` of `limes`. The query
// is covered and avoids document reads.
Product.sortedByName({ from: "limes", to: "limes" }) {
name,
description,
price
}
Values
You can use index values to sort a collection’s documents. You can also use index values for range searches.
Sort collection documents
The following index definition includes several index values:
collection Product {
...
index sortedByPriceLowToHigh {
values [.price, .name, .description]
}
}
Call the sortedByPriceLowToHigh()
index with no arguments to return Product
documents sorted by:
-
Ascending
price
, then … -
Ascending
name
, then … -
Ascending
description
, then … -
Ascending
id
(default)
// Get products by ascending price, name, and description
Product.sortedByPriceLowToHigh()
Descending order
By default, index values sort results in ascending order. To use descending
order, use desc()
in the index definition:
collection Product {
...
index sortedByPriceHighToLow {
values [desc(.price), .name, .description]
}
...
}
Call the index with no arguments to return Product
documents sorted by:
-
Descending
price
, then … -
Ascending
name
, then … -
Ascending
description
, then … -
Ascending
id
(default)
// Get products by descending price,
// ascending name, and ascending description
Product.sortedByPriceHighToLow()
Run a range search
You can also use index values for range searches.
The following index definition includes several index values:
collection Product {
...
index sortedByPriceLowToHigh {
values [.price, .name, .description]
}
}
The index specifies price
as its first value. The following query passes an
argument to run a range search on price
:
// Get products with a price between
// 20_00 (inclusive) and 30_00 (inclusive)
Product.sortedByPriceLowToHigh({ from: 20_00, to: 30_00 })
If an index value uses descending order, pass the higher value in from
:
// Get products with a price between
// 20_00 (inclusive) and 30_00 (inclusive) in desc order
Product.sortedByPriceHighToLow({ from: 30_00, to: 20_00 })
Omit from
or to
to run unbounded range searches:
// Get products with a price greater than or equal to 20_00
Product.sortedByPriceLowToHigh({ from: 20_00 })
// Get products with a price less than or equal to 30_00
Product.sortedByPriceLowToHigh({ to: 30_00 })
Pass multiple index values
Use an array to pass multiple value arguments. Pass the arguments in the same field order used in the index definition.
Product.sortedByPriceLowToHigh({ from: [ 20_00, "l" ], to: [ 30_00, "z" ] })
The index returns any document that matches the first value in the from
and
to
arrays. If matching documents have the same values, they are compared
against the next array element value, and so on.
For example, the Product
collection’s sortedByPriceLowToHigh()
index covers
the price
and name
fields as index values. The Product
collection contains
two documents:
Document |
|
|
Doc1 |
|
|
Doc2 |
|
|
The following query returns both Doc1 and Doc2, in addition to other matching documents:
Product.sortedByPriceLowToHigh({ from: [4_99, "p"] })
The first value (4_99
and 6_98
) of each document matches the first value
(4_99
) of the from
array.
Later, you update the document values to:
Document | price |
name |
---|---|---|
Doc1 |
|
|
Doc2 |
|
|
The following query no longer returns Doc2:
Product.sortedByPriceLowToHigh({ from: [4_99, "p"] })
Although the first value (4_99
) in both documents matches the first value in
the from
array, the second value (cups
) in Doc2 doesn’t match the second
value (p
) of the from
array.
Run a range query on id
All indexes implicitly include an ascending document id
as the index’s last
value.
If you intend to run range queries on id
, we recommend you explicitly include
an ascending id
as the last index value in the index definition, even if you
have an otherwise identical index.
For example, the following sortByStock()
and sortByStockandId()
indexes have the same values:
collection Product {
...
index sortByStock {
values [.stock]
}
index sortByStockandId {
values [.stock, .id]
}
...
}
Although it’s not explicitly listed, sortByStock()
implicitly includes an
ascending id
as its last value.
To reduce your costs, Fauna only builds the sortByStock()
index. When a
query calls the sortByStockandId()
index, Fauna uses the
sortByStock()
index behind the scenes. sortByStockandId()
only acts as
a virtual index and isn’t
materialized.
Missing or null
values
If an index definition contains only values, Fauna indexes all documents in
the collection, regardless of whether the document’s index values are missing or
otherwise null
.
When sorting, Fauna treats null
index values as the last
value in ascending order and as the first value in descending order.
Combine terms and values
If an index has both terms and values, you can run an exact match search on documents in a provided range.
The following index definition includes name
as an index term and
stock
as an index value:
collection Product {
...
index byName {
terms [.name]
values [.stock]
}
...
}
When you call the index, you must provide a term and can specify an optional range:
// Get products named "donkeypinata"
// with a stock between 10 (inclusive) and 50 (inclusive)
Product.byName("donkey pinata", { from: 10, to: 50 })
Index an array field
By default, Fauna assumes index term and value field contain scalar values.
Use mva()
to index an Array field’s values:
collection Product {
...
index byCategory {
// `categories` is an array field.
terms [mva(.categories)]
}
index sortedByCategory {
// `categories` is an array field.
values [mva(.categories)]
// You can combine `mva()` with
// `desc()` and `asc()`. Ex:
// values [desc(mva(.categories))]
}
...
}
mva()
only works on the last item in the provided field accessor. For more
complex nested arrays, such as an object array, use a
computed field:
collection Order {
...
// `Order` collection documents
// have the following structure:
// {
// customer: Customer("<CUSTOMER_DOC_ID>"),
// items: [
// {
// product: Product("PRODUCT_DOC_ID"),
// quantity: 10
// },
// ...
// ],
// ...
// }
// Defines the `quantities` computed field.
// The field uses `map()` to extract `price` values
// from the `cart` array's object to a flat array.
compute quantities = (.items.map(item => item.quantity))
// Uses `mva()` to index the computed `quantities` field.
index byQuantities {
terms [mva(.quantities)]
}
...
}
Covered queries
If you project an index’s covered term or value fields, Fauna gets the field values from the index.
The following index definition includes several index values:
collection Product {
...
index sortedByPriceLowToHigh {
values [.price, .name, .description]
}
}
The following query is a covered query.
// This is a covered query.
// `name`, `description`, and `prices` are values
// in the `sortedByPriceLowToHigh()` index definition.
Product.sortedByPriceLowToHigh() {
name,
description,
price
}
If the projection contains an uncovered field, Fauna must retrieve the field values from the documents. This is an uncovered query.
// This is an uncovered query.
// `stock` is not one of the terms or values
// in the `sortedByPriceLowToHigh()` index definition.
Product.sortedByPriceLowToHigh() {
stock,
name
}
Similarly, a query without a projection is uncovered:
// This is an uncovered query.
// Queries without a projection
// require a document read.
Product.sortedByPriceLowToHigh()
Covered queries are typically faster and less expensive than uncovered queries, which require document reads. If you frequently run uncovered queries, consider adding the uncovered fields to the index definition.
Partitions
When an index has one or more terms, the index is internally partitioned by its terms. Partitioning lets Fauna scale indexes efficiently.
Virtual indexes
To reduce your costs, Fauna doesn’t build duplicate indexes that have the same terms and values. Instead, Fauna only builds a single index and internally points any duplicates to the single index.
For example, in the following collection, the byDescription()
and byDesc()
indexes are duplicates:
collection Product {
...
index byDescription {
terms [.description]
}
index byDesc {
terms [.description]
}
}
When a query calls the byDesc()
index, Fauna uses the existing
byDescription()
index internally. byDesc()
is considered a virtual index and
is never materialized.
Is this article helpful?
Tell Fauna how the article can be improved:
Visit Fauna's forums
or email docs@fauna.com
Thank you for your feedback!