Default Values

<h2 id="default-values" class="position-relative d-flex align-items-center group"> Default Values <button type="button" class="h-share btn btn-link p-0 text-decoration-none link-secondary opacity-50 hover-opacity-100 transition-all ms-1" data-share-target="default-values" aria-haspopup="dialog" aria-label="Share link: Default Values"> Share link </button> </h2><div id="headingShareModal" class="heading-share-modal" role="dialog" aria-modal="true" aria-labelledby="headingShareTitle" hidden> <div class="hsm-dialog" role="document"> <div class="hsm-header"> <h2 id="headingShareTitle" class="h6 mb-0 fw-bold">Share this section</h2> <button type="button" class="hsm-close" aria-label="Close"> </button> </div> <div class="hsm-body"> <label for="headingShareInput" class="form-label small text-muted mb-1 text-uppercase fw-bold" style="font-size: 0.7rem; letter-spacing: 0.5px;">Permalink</label> <div class="input-group mb-4 hsm-url-group"> <input id="headingShareInput" type="text" class="form-control font-monospace" readonly aria-readonly="true" style="font-size: 0.85rem;" /> <button class="btn btn-primary hsm-copy" type="button" aria-label="Copy" title="Copy"> </button> </div> <div class="small fw-bold mb-2 text-muted text-uppercase" style="font-size: 0.7rem; 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const input = modal.querySelector('#headingShareInput'); const copyBtn = modal.querySelector('.hsm-copy'); const twitter = modal.querySelector('#share-twitter'); const linkedin = modal.querySelector('#share-linkedin'); const facebook = modal.querySelector('#share-facebook'); const closeBtn = modal.querySelector('.hsm-close'); let lastFocus=null; let trapBound=false; function buildUrl(id){ return window.location.origin + window.location.pathname + '#' + id; } function isOpen(){ return !modal.hasAttribute('hidden'); } function hydrate(id){ const url=buildUrl(id); input.value=url; const enc=encodeURIComponent(url); const text=encodeURIComponent(document.title); if(twitter) twitter.href=`https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?url=${enc}&text=${text}`; if(linkedin) linkedin.href=`https://www.linkedin.com/sharing/share-offsite/?url=${enc}`; if(facebook) facebook.href=`https://www.facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=${enc}`; } function openModal(id){ lastFocus=document.activeElement; hydrate(id); if(!isOpen()){ modal.removeAttribute('hidden'); } requestAnimationFrame(()=>{ input.focus(); }); trapFocus(); } function closeModal(){ if(!isOpen()) return; modal.setAttribute('hidden',''); if(lastFocus && typeof lastFocus.focus==='function') lastFocus.focus(); } function copyCurrent(){ try{ navigator.clipboard.writeText(input.value).then(()=>feedback(true),()=>fallback()); } catch(e){ fallback(); } } function fallback(){ input.select(); try{ document.execCommand('copy'); feedback(true);}catch(e){ feedback(false);} } function feedback(ok){ if(!copyBtn) return; const icon=copyBtn.querySelector('i'); if(!icon) return; const prev=copyBtn.getAttribute('data-prev')||icon.className; if(!copyBtn.getAttribute('data-prev')) copyBtn.setAttribute('data-prev',prev); icon.className= ok ? 'fa-duotone fa-clipboard-check':'fa-duotone fa-circle-exclamation'; setTimeout(()=>{ icon.className=prev; },1800); } function handleShareClick(e){ e.preventDefault(); const btn=e.currentTarget; const id=btn.getAttribute('data-share-target'); if(id) openModal(id); } function bindShareButtons(){ document.querySelectorAll('.h-share').forEach(btn=>{ if(!btn.dataset.hShareBound){ btn.addEventListener('click', handleShareClick); btn.dataset.hShareBound='1'; } }); } bindShareButtons(); if(document.readyState==='loading'){ document.addEventListener('DOMContentLoaded', bindShareButtons); } else { requestAnimationFrame(bindShareButtons); } document.addEventListener('click', function(e){ const shareBtn=e.target.closest && e.target.closest('.h-share'); if(shareBtn && !shareBtn.dataset.hShareBound){ handleShareClick.call(shareBtn, e); } }, true); document.addEventListener('click', e=>{ if(e.target===modal) closeModal(); if(e.target.closest && e.target.closest('.hsm-close')){ e.preventDefault(); closeModal(); } if(copyBtn && (e.target===copyBtn || (e.target.closest && e.target.closest('.hsm-copy')))) { e.preventDefault(); copyCurrent(); } }); document.addEventListener('keydown', e=>{ if(e.key==='Escape' && isOpen()) closeModal(); }); function trapFocus(){ if(trapBound) return; trapBound=true; modal.addEventListener('keydown', f=>{ if(f.key==='Tab' && isOpen()){ const focusable=[...modal.querySelectorAll('a[href],button,input,textarea,select,[tabindex]:not([tabindex="-1"])')].filter(el=>!el.hasAttribute('disabled')); if(!focusable.length) return; const first=focusable[0]; const last=focusable[focusable.length-1]; if(f.shiftKey && document.activeElement===first){ f.preventDefault(); last.focus(); } else if(!f.shiftKey && document.activeElement===last){ f.preventDefault(); first.focus(); } } }); } if(closeBtn) closeBtn.addEventListener('click', e=>{ e.preventDefault(); closeModal(); }); })(); </script>Default values in Geode automatically populate node and edge properties when they are not explicitly provided during INSERT operations. By leveraging defaults, you reduce boilerplate code in applications, enforce consistent initial states, and encode business logic directly in the schema. Geode supports static defaults, dynamic function-based defaults, and computed defaults that reference other properties. <h3 id="why-use-default-values" class="position-relative d-flex align-items-center group"> Why Use Default Values <button type="button" class="h-share btn btn-link p-0 text-decoration-none link-secondary opacity-50 hover-opacity-100 transition-all ms-1" data-share-target="why-use-default-values" aria-haspopup="dialog" aria-label="Share link: Why Use Default Values"> Share link </button> </h3>Default values serve several critical purposes in graph database design: <ul> <li>Reduce Application Complexity: Move initialization logic from application code to the database</li> <li>Ensure Consistency: Guarantee that properties have predictable initial values</li> <li>Auto-Generate Identifiers: Automatically create UUIDs, timestamps, and sequential IDs</li> <li>Enforce Business Rules: Set appropriate initial states based on domain requirements</li> <li>Simplify APIs: Allow client code to omit optional properties</li> <li>Improve Data Quality: Prevent NULL values in properties that should have sensible defaults</li> </ul> <h3 id="static-default-values" class="position-relative d-flex align-items-center group"> Static Default Values <button type="button" class="h-share btn btn-link p-0 text-decoration-none link-secondary opacity-50 hover-opacity-100 transition-all ms-1" data-share-target="static-default-values" aria-haspopup="dialog" aria-label="Share link: Static Default Values"> Share link </button> </h3>Static defaults assign fixed literal values when properties are omitted. These are the simplest and most common type of default. <div class="highlight"><pre tabindex="0" class="chroma"><code class="language-gql" data-lang="gql">-- Node type with static defaults CREATE NODE TYPE Person ( id STRING NOT NULL, name STRING NOT NULL, status STRING DEFAULT 'active', -- All new users start as active role STRING DEFAULT 'user', -- Default role is regular user verified BOOLEAN DEFAULT false, -- Email not verified initially notifications_enabled BOOLEAN DEFAULT true, theme STRING DEFAULT 'light' ); -- Edge type with static metadata defaults CREATE EDGE TYPE FOLLOWS ( followed_at TIMESTAMP NOT NULL, notification_enabled BOOLEAN DEFAULT true, relationship_type STRING DEFAULT 'standard' -- vs 'close_friend', 'muted' ); -- Product with pricing defaults CREATE NODE TYPE Product ( sku STRING NOT NULL, name STRING NOT NULL, price DECIMAL NOT NULL, tax_rate DECIMAL DEFAULT 0.08, -- 8% sales tax discount_pct DECIMAL DEFAULT 0.0, -- No discount by default in_stock BOOLEAN DEFAULT true ); </code></pre></div>Using nodes with static defaults: <div class="highlight"><pre tabindex="0" class="chroma"><code class="language-python" data-lang="python"># Python client - defaults applied automatically from geode_client import Client client = Client(host="localhost", port=3141) async with client.connection() as conn: # Only provide required fields, defaults fill in the rest result, _ = await conn.query( "INSERT (p:Person {id: $id, name: $name}) RETURN p", {"id": "user-001", "name": "Alice"} ) user = result.bindings[0]["p"] assert user["status"] == "active" assert user["role"] == "user" assert user["verified"] == False assert user["notifications_enabled"] == True </code></pre></div> <h3 id="dynamic-function-based-defaults" class="position-relative d-flex align-items-center group"> Dynamic Function-Based Defaults <button type="button" class="h-share btn btn-link p-0 text-decoration-none link-secondary opacity-50 hover-opacity-100 transition-all ms-1" data-share-target="dynamic-function-based-defaults" aria-haspopup="dialog" aria-label="Share link: Dynamic Function-Based Defaults"> Share link </button> </h3>Dynamic defaults use built-in functions to generate values at insertion time. These are essential for timestamps, UUIDs, and user context. <div class="highlight"><pre tabindex="0" class="chroma"><code class="language-gql" data-lang="gql">-- Auto-generate identifiers and timestamps CREATE NODE TYPE Person ( id STRING DEFAULT gen_random_uuid(), -- Random UUID v4 name STRING NOT NULL, created_at TIMESTAMP DEFAULT NOW(), -- Current timestamp updated_at TIMESTAMP DEFAULT NOW(), created_by STRING DEFAULT CURRENT_USER() -- Authenticated user ); -- Sequential order numbers CREATE NODE TYPE Order ( id STRING DEFAULT gen_random_uuid(), order_number STRING DEFAULT next_order_id(), -- Custom sequence function placed_at TIMESTAMP DEFAULT NOW(), status STRING DEFAULT 'pending' ); -- Date-based defaults CREATE NODE TYPE Event ( id STRING DEFAULT gen_random_uuid(), event_date DATE DEFAULT CURRENT_DATE(), created_at TIMESTAMP DEFAULT NOW(), expires_at TIMESTAMP DEFAULT (NOW() + INTERVAL '30 days') ); </code></pre></div> <h4 id="common-default-functions" class="position-relative d-flex align-items-center group"> Common Default Functions <button type="button" class="h-share btn btn-link p-0 text-decoration-none link-secondary opacity-50 hover-opacity-100 transition-all ms-1" data-share-target="common-default-functions" aria-haspopup="dialog" aria-label="Share link: Common Default Functions"> Share link </button> </h4>Geode provides several built-in functions for dynamic defaults: <table> <thead> <tr> <th>Function</th> <th>Returns</th> <th>Description</th> </tr> </thead> <tbody> <tr> <td><code>gen_random_uuid()</code></td> <td>STRING</td> <td>Random UUID v4 (preferred)</td> </tr> <tr> <td><code>uuid_generate_v4()</code></td> <td>STRING</td> <td>Alternative UUID generator</td> </tr> <tr> <td><code>NOW()</code></td> <td>TIMESTAMP</td> <td>Current timestamp with timezone</td> </tr> <tr> <td><code>CURRENT_TIMESTAMP()</code></td> <td>TIMESTAMP</td> <td>Alias for NOW()</td> </tr> <tr> <td><code>CURRENT_DATE()</code></td> <td>DATE</td> <td>Current date without time</td> </tr> <tr> <td><code>CURRENT_TIME()</code></td> <td>TIME</td> <td>Current time without date</td> </tr> <tr> <td><code>CURRENT_USER()</code></td> <td>STRING</td> <td>Authenticated user identifier</td> </tr> <tr> <td><code>CURRENT_DATABASE()</code></td> <td>STRING</td> <td>Database name</td> </tr> </tbody> </table> Example with multiple dynamic defaults: <div class="highlight"><pre tabindex="0" class="chroma"><code class="language-go" data-lang="go">// Go client - dynamic defaults in action package main import ( "context" "fmt" "geodedb.com/geode" ) func createEvent(ctx context.Context, db *geode.DB, name string) error { // Only provide name, all other fields use defaults result, err := db.QueryContext(ctx, "INSERT (e:Event {name: $1}) RETURN e", name) if err != nil { return err } var event struct { ID string Name string EventDate string CreatedAt string ExpiresAt string } if result.Next() { if err := result.Scan(&event); err != nil { return err } } fmt.Printf("Created event with auto-generated ID: %s\n", event.ID) fmt.Printf("Event date: %s, Expires: %s\n", event.EventDate, event.ExpiresAt) return nil } </code></pre></div> <h3 id="expression-based-defaults" class="position-relative d-flex align-items-center group"> Expression-Based Defaults <button type="button" class="h-share btn btn-link p-0 text-decoration-none link-secondary opacity-50 hover-opacity-100 transition-all ms-1" data-share-target="expression-based-defaults" aria-haspopup="dialog" aria-label="Share link: Expression-Based Defaults"> Share link </button> </h3>Expression defaults use GQL expressions to compute values based on literal values, functions, or other properties in the same node. <div class="highlight"><pre tabindex="0" class="chroma"><code class="language-gql" data-lang="gql">-- Computed string expressions CREATE NODE TYPE Order ( id STRING DEFAULT gen_random_uuid(), sequence_number INTEGER NOT NULL, order_number STRING DEFAULT ('ORD-' || LPAD(sequence_number::TEXT, 8, '0')), -- Generates: 'ORD-00000001', 'ORD-00000002', etc. created_at TIMESTAMP DEFAULT NOW(), year STRING DEFAULT EXTRACT(YEAR FROM created_at)::TEXT, month STRING DEFAULT EXTRACT(MONTH FROM created_at)::TEXT ); -- Computed numeric expressions CREATE NODE TYPE Product ( base_price DECIMAL NOT NULL, tax_rate DECIMAL DEFAULT 0.08, shipping_cost DECIMAL DEFAULT 5.99, total_price DECIMAL DEFAULT (base_price * (1 + tax_rate) + shipping_cost) ); -- Conditional expressions with CASE CREATE NODE TYPE User ( user_type STRING NOT NULL, -- 'premium', 'standard', 'trial' max_uploads INTEGER DEFAULT CASE WHEN user_type = 'premium' THEN 10000 WHEN user_type = 'standard' THEN 1000 WHEN user_type = 'trial' THEN 50 ELSE 10 END, storage_gb INTEGER DEFAULT CASE WHEN user_type = 'premium' THEN 1000 WHEN user_type = 'standard' THEN 100 ELSE 10 END ); </code></pre></div>Rust client example: <div class="highlight"><pre tabindex="0" class="chroma"><code class="language-rust" data-lang="rust">// Rust client - inserting with computed defaults use geode_client::{Client, Value}; use std::collections::HashMap; async fn create_product(client: &Client, base_price: f64) -> Result<(), geode_client::Error> { let mut params = HashMap::new(); params.insert("base_price", Value::Float(base_price)); // tax_rate, shipping_cost, and total_price all computed via defaults let result = client.execute( "INSERT (p:Product {base_price: $base_price}) RETURN p", &params ).await?; if let Some(row) = result.bindings.first() { let product = &row["p"]; println!("Created product with computed total: {:?}", product["total_price"]); } Ok(()) } </code></pre></div> <h3 id="update-defaults-on-update" class="position-relative d-flex align-items-center group"> Update Defaults (ON UPDATE) <button type="button" class="h-share btn btn-link p-0 text-decoration-none link-secondary opacity-50 hover-opacity-100 transition-all ms-1" data-share-target="update-defaults-on-update" aria-haspopup="dialog" aria-label="Share link: Update Defaults (ON UPDATE)"> Share link </button> </h3>Some properties should be automatically updated whenever a node is modified. Geode supports ON UPDATE defaults for this use case. <div class="highlight"><pre tabindex="0" class="chroma"><code class="language-gql" data-lang="gql">CREATE NODE TYPE Person ( id STRING NOT NULL, name STRING NOT NULL, created_at TIMESTAMP DEFAULT NOW(), updated_at TIMESTAMP DEFAULT NOW() ON UPDATE, -- Auto-update on modification modified_by STRING DEFAULT CURRENT_USER() ON UPDATE ); -- Usage INSERT (p:Person {id: 'user-001', name: 'Alice'}); -- created_at: 2026-01-24 10:00:00, updated_at: 2026-01-24 10:00:00 UPDATE Person SET name = 'Alice Smith' WHERE id = 'user-001'; -- created_at: 2026-01-24 10:00:00, updated_at: 2026-01-24 11:30:00 (auto-updated) </code></pre></div> <h3 id="managing-defaults-after-schema-creation" class="position-relative d-flex align-items-center group"> Managing Defaults After Schema Creation <button type="button" class="h-share btn btn-link p-0 text-decoration-none link-secondary opacity-50 hover-opacity-100 transition-all ms-1" data-share-target="managing-defaults-after-schema-creation" aria-haspopup="dialog" aria-label="Share link: Managing Defaults After Schema Creation"> Share link </button> </h3>Defaults can be added, modified, or removed after node or edge types are defined. <h4 id="adding-defaults" class="position-relative d-flex align-items-center group"> Adding Defaults <button type="button" class="h-share btn btn-link p-0 text-decoration-none link-secondary opacity-50 hover-opacity-100 transition-all ms-1" data-share-target="adding-defaults" aria-haspopup="dialog" aria-label="Share link: Adding Defaults"> Share link </button> </h4><div class="highlight"><pre tabindex="0" class="chroma"><code class="language-gql" data-lang="gql">-- Add default to existing property ALTER NODE TYPE Person ALTER PROPERTY status SET DEFAULT 'active'; -- Add new property with default ALTER NODE TYPE Person ADD PROPERTY last_login TIMESTAMP DEFAULT NOW(); </code></pre></div> <h4 id="changing-defaults" class="position-relative d-flex align-items-center group"> Changing Defaults <button type="button" class="h-share btn btn-link p-0 text-decoration-none link-secondary opacity-50 hover-opacity-100 transition-all ms-1" data-share-target="changing-defaults" aria-haspopup="dialog" aria-label="Share link: Changing Defaults"> Share link </button> </h4><div class="highlight"><pre tabindex="0" class="chroma"><code class="language-gql" data-lang="gql">-- Update default value ALTER NODE TYPE User ALTER PROPERTY max_connections SET DEFAULT 1000; -- Was 100 -- Change default function ALTER NODE TYPE Session ALTER PROPERTY expires_at SET DEFAULT (NOW() + INTERVAL '24 hours'); -- Was 1 hour </code></pre></div> <h4 id="removing-defaults" class="position-relative d-flex align-items-center group"> Removing Defaults <button type="button" class="h-share btn btn-link p-0 text-decoration-none link-secondary opacity-50 hover-opacity-100 transition-all ms-1" data-share-target="removing-defaults" aria-haspopup="dialog" aria-label="Share link: Removing Defaults"> Share link </button> </h4><div class="highlight"><pre tabindex="0" class="chroma"><code class="language-gql" data-lang="gql">-- Remove default, making property truly optional ALTER NODE TYPE Person ALTER PROPERTY theme DROP DEFAULT; -- Now inserts without 'theme' will have NULL instead of 'light' </code></pre></div> <h4 id="querying-default-definitions" class="position-relative d-flex align-items-center group"> Querying Default Definitions <button type="button" class="h-share btn btn-link p-0 text-decoration-none link-secondary opacity-50 hover-opacity-100 transition-all ms-1" data-share-target="querying-default-definitions" aria-haspopup="dialog" aria-label="Share link: Querying Default Definitions"> Share link </button> </h4><div class="highlight"><pre tabindex="0" class="chroma"><code class="language-gql" data-lang="gql">-- View defaults for a node type SHOW CREATE NODE TYPE Person; -- List all properties with defaults SELECT property_name, default_value FROM SYSTEM.PROPERTY_METADATA WHERE node_type = 'Person' AND default_value IS NOT NULL; </code></pre></div> <h3 id="default-value-overrides" class="position-relative d-flex align-items-center group"> Default Value Overrides <button type="button" class="h-share btn btn-link p-0 text-decoration-none link-secondary opacity-50 hover-opacity-100 transition-all ms-1" data-share-target="default-value-overrides" aria-haspopup="dialog" aria-label="Share link: Default Value Overrides"> Share link </button> </h3>Explicitly provided values always override defaults: <div class="highlight"><pre tabindex="0" class="chroma"><code class="language-python" data-lang="python"># Python - explicit values override defaults client = Client(host="localhost", port=3141) async with client.connection() as conn: # Uses defaults result1 = await conn.execute( "INSERT (p:Person {name: 'Alice'}) RETURN p", {} ) # p.status = 'active', p.role = 'user' # Overrides defaults result2 = await conn.execute( "INSERT (p:Person {name: 'Bob', status: 'suspended', role: 'admin'}) RETURN p", {} ) # p.status = 'suspended', p.role = 'admin' # Partial override result3 = await conn.execute( "INSERT (p:Person {name: 'Carol', status: 'pending'}) RETURN p", {} ) # p.status = 'pending', p.role = 'user' (default) </code></pre></div> <h3 id="advanced-patterns" class="position-relative d-flex align-items-center group"> Advanced Patterns <button type="button" class="h-share btn btn-link p-0 text-decoration-none link-secondary opacity-50 hover-opacity-100 transition-all ms-1" data-share-target="advanced-patterns" aria-haspopup="dialog" aria-label="Share link: Advanced Patterns"> Share link </button> </h3> <h4 id="multi-tier-defaults" class="position-relative d-flex align-items-center group"> Multi-Tier Defaults <button type="button" class="h-share btn btn-link p-0 text-decoration-none link-secondary opacity-50 hover-opacity-100 transition-all ms-1" data-share-target="multi-tier-defaults" aria-haspopup="dialog" aria-label="Share link: Multi-Tier Defaults"> Share link </button> </h4><div class="highlight"><pre tabindex="0" class="chroma"><code class="language-gql" data-lang="gql">-- Cascade defaults based on parent values CREATE NODE TYPE Subscription ( tier STRING NOT NULL CHECK (tier IN ('free', 'basic', 'premium', 'enterprise')), price DECIMAL DEFAULT CASE tier WHEN 'free' THEN 0 WHEN 'basic' THEN 9.99 WHEN 'premium' THEN 29.99 WHEN 'enterprise' THEN 99.99 END, max_users INTEGER DEFAULT CASE tier WHEN 'free' THEN 1 WHEN 'basic' THEN 5 WHEN 'premium' THEN 50 ELSE 1000 END, support_level STRING DEFAULT CASE tier WHEN 'enterprise' THEN 'priority' WHEN 'premium' THEN 'standard' ELSE 'community' END ); </code></pre></div> <h4 id="temporal-defaults-with-business-logic" class="position-relative d-flex align-items-center group"> Temporal Defaults with Business Logic <button type="button" class="h-share btn btn-link p-0 text-decoration-none link-secondary opacity-50 hover-opacity-100 transition-all ms-1" data-share-target="temporal-defaults-with-business-logic" aria-haspopup="dialog" aria-label="Share link: Temporal Defaults with Business Logic"> Share link </button> </h4><div class="highlight"><pre tabindex="0" class="chroma"><code class="language-gql" data-lang="gql">CREATE NODE TYPE Contract ( signed_date DATE NOT NULL DEFAULT CURRENT_DATE(), effective_date DATE DEFAULT CURRENT_DATE(), term_months INTEGER DEFAULT 12, renewal_date DATE DEFAULT (effective_date + (term_months || ' months')::INTERVAL), next_review DATE DEFAULT (effective_date + INTERVAL '6 months') ); </code></pre></div> <h4 id="audit-trail-defaults" class="position-relative d-flex align-items-center group"> Audit Trail Defaults <button type="button" class="h-share btn btn-link p-0 text-decoration-none link-secondary opacity-50 hover-opacity-100 transition-all ms-1" data-share-target="audit-trail-defaults" aria-haspopup="dialog" aria-label="Share link: Audit Trail Defaults"> Share link </button> </h4><div class="highlight"><pre tabindex="0" class="chroma"><code class="language-gql" data-lang="gql">CREATE NODE TYPE AuditedEntity ( id STRING DEFAULT gen_random_uuid(), created_at TIMESTAMP DEFAULT NOW(), created_by STRING DEFAULT CURRENT_USER(), created_from_ip STRING DEFAULT CLIENT_IP(), updated_at TIMESTAMP DEFAULT NOW() ON UPDATE, updated_by STRING DEFAULT CURRENT_USER() ON UPDATE, version INTEGER DEFAULT 1 ); </code></pre></div> <h3 id="performance-considerations" class="position-relative d-flex align-items-center group"> Performance Considerations <button type="button" class="h-share btn btn-link p-0 text-decoration-none link-secondary opacity-50 hover-opacity-100 transition-all ms-1" data-share-target="performance-considerations" aria-haspopup="dialog" aria-label="Share link: Performance Considerations"> Share link </button> </h3><ul> <li>Static Defaults: Zero overhead, resolved at parse time</li> <li>Function Defaults: Microsecond overhead per call (NOW(), UUID generation)</li> <li>Expression Defaults: Depends on expression complexity</li> <li>Computed Defaults: May require property ordering in schema</li> </ul> <h3 id="best-practices" class="position-relative d-flex align-items-center group"> Best Practices <button type="button" class="h-share btn btn-link p-0 text-decoration-none link-secondary opacity-50 hover-opacity-100 transition-all ms-1" data-share-target="best-practices" aria-haspopup="dialog" aria-label="Share link: Best Practices"> Share link </button> </h3><ol> <li>Use Defaults for Optional Fields: Every nullable field should consider if a default makes sense</li> <li>Prefer Static Over Dynamic: Use static defaults when values don’t change per-insert</li> <li>Document Default Behavior: Comment why specific defaults were chosen</li> <li>Test Default Application: Verify defaults in unit tests</li> <li>Version Defaults: Track default changes in migration scripts</li> <li>Avoid Expensive Computations: Don’t use complex subqueries in defaults</li> <li>Set Sensible Defaults: Choose values that work for 80%+ of cases</li> <li>Use ON UPDATE Sparingly: Only for audit fields and timestamps</li> </ol> <h3 id="common-patterns" class="position-relative d-flex align-items-center group"> Common Patterns <button type="button" class="h-share btn btn-link p-0 text-decoration-none link-secondary opacity-50 hover-opacity-100 transition-all ms-1" data-share-target="common-patterns" aria-haspopup="dialog" aria-label="Share link: Common Patterns"> Share link </button> </h3>User Account Initialization: <div class="highlight"><pre tabindex="0" class="chroma"><code class="language-gql" data-lang="gql">status: 'pending' → requires email verification verified: false → must confirm email role: 'user' → standard permissions created_at: NOW() → track registration time </code></pre></div>Order Management: <div class="highlight"><pre tabindex="0" class="chroma"><code class="language-gql" data-lang="gql">status: 'draft' → orders start as drafts placed_at: NULL → set when order confirmed total: 0.0 → computed from line items </code></pre></div>Content Creation: <div class="highlight"><pre tabindex="0" class="chroma"><code class="language-gql" data-lang="gql">published: false → draft by default created_at: NOW() → auto-timestamp author: CURRENT_USER() → track creator </code></pre></div> <h3 id="troubleshooting" class="position-relative d-flex align-items-center group"> Troubleshooting <button type="button" class="h-share btn btn-link p-0 text-decoration-none link-secondary opacity-50 hover-opacity-100 transition-all ms-1" data-share-target="troubleshooting" aria-haspopup="dialog" aria-label="Share link: Troubleshooting"> Share link </button> </h3>Default not applied: Check if property was explicitly set to NULL Expression error: Verify referenced properties exist and are defined before the defaulted property Wrong timestamp: Ensure timezone configuration matches expectations UUID collisions: Use <code>gen_random_uuid()</code> instead of custom generation <h3 id="related-topics" class="position-relative d-flex align-items-center group"> Related Topics <button type="button" class="h-share btn btn-link p-0 text-decoration-none link-secondary opacity-50 hover-opacity-100 transition-all ms-1" data-share-target="related-topics" aria-haspopup="dialog" aria-label="Share link: Related Topics"> Share link </button> </h3><ul> <li><a href="/tags/constraints" >Constraints</a> - NOT NULL and CHECK constraints that work with defaults</li> <li><a href="/tags/nullable" >Nullable</a> - Understanding NULL vs default value behavior</li> <li><a href="/tags/validation" >Validation</a> - Validating default values meet business rules</li> <li><a href="/tags/schema/" >Schemas</a> - Schema design with default values</li> <li><a href="/tags/migration/" >Migrations</a> - Adding defaults in schema migrations</li> </ul>

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