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Schema Operations

Atlas Search Indexes

On this page

  • Creating Search Indexes
  • Update Search Indexes
  • Dropping Search Indexes
  • Listing Search Indexes

If you are using a database hosted by MongoDB Atlas, the driver provides the ability to create, drop and view Atlas search indexes on a collection through the search_indexes attribute:

client = Mongo::Client.new(your_atlas_uri, database: 'music')
client[:bands].search_indexes
# => #<Mongo::SearchIndex::View:0x000055e2822b9318 @collection=#<Mongo::Collection:0x660 namespace=music.bands> ...>

Creating Search Indexes

Search indexes can be created one at a time, or several can be created in parallel in a single operation.

To create a single index, use search_indexes#create_one, passing the index definition as the first argument, and an optional name for the index as the second argument.

client[:bands].search_indexes.create_one({ dynamic: true })
client[:bands].search_indexes.create_one(
  {
    dynamic: false,
    fields: {
      name: { type: 'string', analyzer: 'lucene.simple' }
    }
  },
  'band-name-index'
)

To create multiple indexes, use search_indexes#create_many which accepts an array of index specifications. Unlike create_one, each index specification is a hash with at least a definition key, which defines the index. Each has may also specify a name key, to name the index.

client[:bands].search_indexes.create_many([
  { definition: { dynamic: true } },
  { name: 'band-name-index,
    definition: {
      dynamic: false,
      fields: {
        name: { type: 'string', analyzer: 'lucene.simple' }
      }
    }
  },
])

Note that whether you call create_one or create_many, the method will return immediately, before the indexes are created. The indexes are then created in the background, asynchronously.

Update Search Indexes

You can programmatically update an Atlas search index. For example, you might do this to change the analyzer used, or to provide an explicit field mapping, instead of a dynamic one. To do this, use the search_indexes#update_one method:

client[:bands].search_indexes.update_one(new_definition, id: index_id)
client[:bands].search_indexes.update_one(new_definition, name: index_name)

Indexes may be identified by either id, or name, but you must specify one or the other. The new index definition must be a complete definition--it will take precedence as specified over the existing definition.

To get the id or name of an index that you wish to update, you can list the search indexes.

Dropping Search Indexes

To drop Atlas search indexes, call search_indexes#drop_one and provide either the id or the name of the index you wish to drop.

client[:bands].search_indexes.drop_one(id: index_id)
client[:bands].search_indexes.drop_one(name: index_name)

In either case, the method will return immediately and the index will be dropped in the background, asynchronously.

To get the id or name of an index that you wish to drop, you can list the search indexes.

Listing Search Indexes

To list the available search indexes, iterate over the search_indexes object:

client[:bands].search_indexes.each do |index_spec|
  p index_spec['id']
  p index_spec['name']
  p index_spec['status']
  p index_spec['queryable']
  p index_spec['latestDefinition']
end

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