An essential feature of modern databases is the ability to track when a record gets updated automatically. This feature is facilitated through timestamps, which Sequelize.js manages efficiently. However, there are cases where you might want to update a record without altering its timestamp fields. This article guides you through the process of updating a row without affecting the ‘createdAt’ and ‘updatedAt’ fields using Sequelize.js.
Understanding Timestamps in Sequelize.js
Before diving into the tutorial, let’s briefly understand the role of timestamps in Sequelize.js. By default, Sequelize will add the createdAt and updatedAt fields to your models, representing when the record was created and last updated, respectively. While these fields are incredibly useful for maintaining data integrity and history, in certain situations, you may need to perform updates without changing these values.
Configuring Sequelize Models
The first step in ensuring you can update a row without modifying the timestamps is to define your Sequelize model correctly. Here’s a basic Sequelize model definition:
const User = sequelize.define('User', {
username: Sequelize.STRING,
isAdmin: Sequelize.BOOLEAN
});
Normally, Sequelize would manage the createdAt and updatedAt fields automatically. To adjust their behavior, you can pass additional options to the define method.
Updating a Row Without Timestamps
Now, for the main event: updating a row without touching the timestamps. Here’s a straight-forward example:
User.update(
{ isAdmin: true },
{
where: { id: 1 },
silent: true
}
);
The silent option is your key here; setting it to true tells Sequelize not to update the updatedAt field.
Advanced Usage
There might be scenarios where you don’t want to globally disable the automatic timestamp updates, and only want it for specific updates. You can customize the behavior on a per-query basis:
User.update(
{ username: 'new_username' },
{
where: { id: 1 },
hooks: false
}
);
By setting hooks: false, Sequelize skips all update hooks, including the one responsible for setting the updatedAt timestamp.
Handling Bulk Updates
In cases where you’re updating multiple records at once, you’ll want to keep the timestamps intact. Here’s how you perform a bulk update without touching the timestamps:
User.update(
{ isAdmin: false },
{
where: { groupId: 2 },
individualHooks: false
}
);
Setting individualHooks to false tells Sequelize not to execute any hooks for each record in a bulk update, thereby preserving the timestamps.
Considerations and Best Practices
While having the capability to update records without updating timestamps is useful, it’s also important to understand the implications. Ensure that this operation is really necessary, and document these instances for future reference and debugging.
Conclusion
In conclusion, Sequelize.js is a powerful ORM that makes handling data and timestamps hassle-free. However, when you need to update a row without touching the timestamps, the methods discussed here – using the silent attribute, setting hooks to false, and managing individualHooks during bulk updates – will give you the control you need. Make sure to use these options judiciously and with a clear understanding of their impact on your data integrity.
