Commit 1c134aef authored by Amy Qualls's avatar Amy Qualls

Add cross-link to new page

Create a cross-link to improve findability.
parent 92555771
......@@ -69,3 +69,4 @@ info: To determine the technical writer assigned to the Stage/Group associated w
## Miscellaneous
- [Maintenance operations](maintenance_operations.md)
- [Update multiple database objects](setting_multiple_values.md)
......@@ -4,24 +4,22 @@ group: Database
info: To determine the technical writer assigned to the Stage/Group associated with this page, see https://about.gitlab.com/handbook/engineering/ux/technical-writing/#assignments
---
# Setting Multiple Values
# Update multiple database objects
> [Introduced](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab/-/issues/32921) in GitLab 13.5.
There's often a need to update multiple objects with new values for one
or more columns. One method of doing this is using `Relation#update_all`:
You can update multiple database objects with new values for one or more columns.
One method is to use `Relation#update_all`:
```ruby
user.issues.open.update_all(due_date: 7.days.from_now) # (1)
user.issues.update_all('relative_position = relative_position + 1') # (2)
```
But what do you do if you cannot express the update as either a static value (1)
or as a calculation (2)?
Thankfully we can use `UPDATE FROM` to express the need to update multiple rows
with distinct values in a single query. One can either use a temporary table, or
a Common Table Expression (CTE), and then use that as the source of the updates:
If you cannot express the update as either a static value (1) or as a calculation (2),
use `UPDATE FROM` to express the need to update multiple rows with distinct values
in a single query. Create a temporary table, or a Common Table Expression (CTE),
and use it as the source of the updates:
```sql
with updates(obj_id, new_title, new_weight) as (
......@@ -34,23 +32,22 @@ update issues
where id = obj_id
```
The bad news: there is no way to express this in ActiveRecord or even dropping
down to ARel. The `UpdateManager` does not support `update from`, so this
is not expressible.
The good news: we supply an abstraction to help you generate these kinds of
updates, called `Gitlab::Database::BulkUpdate`. This constructs queries such as the
above, and uses binding parameters to avoid SQL injection.
You can't express this in ActiveRecord, or by dropping down to [Arel](https://api.rubyonrails.org/v6.1.0/classes/Arel.html),
because the `UpdateManager` does not support `update from`. However, we supply
an abstraction to help you generate these kinds of updates: `Gitlab::Database::BulkUpdate`.
This abstraction constructs queries like the previous example, and uses
binding parameters to avoid SQL injection.
## Usage
To use this, we need:
To use `Gitlab::Database::BulkUpdate`, we need:
- the list of columns to update
- a mapping from object/ID to the new values to set for that object
- a way to determine the table for each object
- The list of columns to update.
- A mapping from the object (or ID) to the new values to set for that object.
- A way to determine the table for each object.
For example, we can express the query above as:
For example, we can express the example query in a way that determines the
table by calling `object.class.table_name`:
```ruby
issue_a = Issue.find(..)
......@@ -63,10 +60,7 @@ issue_b = Issue.find(..)
})
```
Here the table can be determined automatically, from calling
`object.class.table_name`, so we don't need to provide anything.
We can even pass heterogeneous sets of objects, if the updates all make sense
You can even pass heterogeneous sets of objects, if the updates all make sense
for them:
```ruby
......@@ -82,8 +76,8 @@ merge_request = MergeRequest.find(..)
})
```
If your objects do not return the correct model class (perhaps because they are
part of a union), then we need to specify this explicitly in a block:
If your objects do not return the correct model class, such as if they are part
of a union, then specify the model class explicitly in a block:
```ruby
bazzes = params
......@@ -103,7 +97,10 @@ end
## Caveats
Note that this is a **very low level** tool, and operates on the raw column
values. Enumerations and state fields must be translated into their underlying
representations, for example, and nested associations are not supported. No
validations or hooks are called.
This tool is **very low level**, and operates directly on the raw column
values. You should consider these issues if you implement it:
- Enumerations and state fields must be translated into their underlying
representations.
- Nested associations are not supported.
- No validations or hooks are called.
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