SET Clause in GQL

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It allows you to add new properties, update existing values, remove properties, and manage labels. SET is essential for maintaining and evolving your graph data over time. Geode implements the SET clause according to the ISO/IEC 39075:2024 GQL standard. <h3 id="introduction-to-set" class="position-relative d-flex align-items-center group"> Introduction to SET <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="introduction-to-set" aria-haspopup="dialog" aria-label="Share link: Introduction to SET"> Share link </button> </h3>Unlike CREATE which adds new elements or DELETE which removes them, SET modifies existing graph elements. It operates on elements that have been matched by a preceding MATCH clause or created in the same query. Key characteristics of SET: <ul> <li>Property Assignment: Add or update property values</li> <li>Property Removal: Remove properties by setting to NULL</li> <li>Label Management: Add labels to existing nodes</li> <li>Bulk Updates: Modify multiple elements in one operation</li> <li>Expression Support: Compute new values from existing data</li> <li>Type Coercion: Automatic type handling for property values</li> </ul> <h3 id="basic-property-updates" class="position-relative d-flex align-items-center group"> Basic Property Updates <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="basic-property-updates" aria-haspopup="dialog" aria-label="Share link: Basic Property Updates"> Share link </button> </h3> <h4 id="setting-single-properties" class="position-relative d-flex align-items-center group"> Setting Single Properties <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="setting-single-properties" aria-haspopup="dialog" aria-label="Share link: Setting Single Properties"> Share link </button> </h4>Update or add a single property value. <div class="highlight"><pre tabindex="0" class="chroma"><code class="language-gql" data-lang="gql">-- Update an existing property MATCH (p:Person {name: 'Alice'}) SET p.age = 31; -- Add a new property MATCH (p:Person {name: 'Alice'}) SET p.phone = '+1-555-0123'; -- Set with expression MATCH (p:Product {id: $product_id}) SET p.price = p.price * 1.1; -- 10% price increase </code></pre></div> <h4 id="setting-multiple-properties" class="position-relative d-flex align-items-center group"> Setting Multiple Properties <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="setting-multiple-properties" aria-haspopup="dialog" aria-label="Share link: Setting Multiple Properties"> Share link </button> </h4>Update several properties in one SET clause. <div class="highlight"><pre tabindex="0" class="chroma"><code class="language-gql" data-lang="gql">-- Multiple properties with separate SET MATCH (p:Person {name: 'Alice'}) SET p.age = 31 SET p.city = 'New York'; -- Multiple properties in one SET MATCH (p:Person {name: 'Alice'}) SET p.age = 31, p.city = 'New York', p.updated_at = datetime(); -- Comprehensive update MATCH (u:User {id: $user_id}) SET u.name = $name, u.email = $email, u.bio = $bio, u.updated_at = datetime(), u.version = u.version + 1; </code></pre></div> <h4 id="setting-properties-from-other-properties" class="position-relative d-flex align-items-center group"> Setting Properties from Other Properties <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="setting-properties-from-other-properties" aria-haspopup="dialog" aria-label="Share link: Setting Properties from Other Properties"> Share link </button> </h4>Compute new values based on existing data. <div class="highlight"><pre tabindex="0" class="chroma"><code class="language-gql" data-lang="gql">-- Copy property MATCH (p:Person) SET p.display_name = p.name; -- Concatenate MATCH (p:Person) SET p.full_name = p.first_name + ' ' + p.last_name; -- Calculate MATCH (o:Order)-[:CONTAINS]->(i:OrderItem) WITH o, sum(i.price * i.quantity) AS total SET o.total = total; </code></pre></div> <h3 id="property-operations" class="position-relative d-flex align-items-center group"> Property Operations <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="property-operations" aria-haspopup="dialog" aria-label="Share link: Property Operations"> Share link </button> </h3> <h4 id="removing-properties" class="position-relative d-flex align-items-center group"> Removing Properties <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-properties" aria-haspopup="dialog" aria-label="Share link: Removing Properties"> Share link </button> </h4>Set a property to NULL to remove it. <div class="highlight"><pre tabindex="0" class="chroma"><code class="language-gql" data-lang="gql">-- Remove single property MATCH (p:Person {name: 'Alice'}) SET p.temporary_field = null; -- Remove multiple properties MATCH (p:Product) WHERE p.discontinued = true SET p.price = null, p.inventory = null; -- Alternative: REMOVE keyword MATCH (p:Person {name: 'Alice'}) REMOVE p.deprecated_field; </code></pre></div> <h4 id="replacing-all-properties" class="position-relative d-flex align-items-center group"> Replacing All Properties <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="replacing-all-properties" aria-haspopup="dialog" aria-label="Share link: Replacing All Properties"> Share link </button> </h4>Replace all properties of a node (use with caution). <div class="highlight"><pre tabindex="0" class="chroma"><code class="language-gql" data-lang="gql">-- Replace all properties (destructive) MATCH (p:Person {id: $id}) SET p = { id: $id, name: $new_name, email: $new_email, updated_at: datetime() }; -- Warning: This removes all properties not in the new map -- Safer: Merge properties (keeps existing) MATCH (p:Person {id: $id}) SET p += { name: $new_name, email: $new_email, updated_at: datetime() }; -- This preserves properties not mentioned in the map </code></pre></div> <h4 id="property-map-operations" class="position-relative d-flex align-items-center group"> Property Map Operations <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="property-map-operations" aria-haspopup="dialog" aria-label="Share link: Property Map Operations"> Share link </button> </h4>Use maps for flexible property updates. <div class="highlight"><pre tabindex="0" class="chroma"><code class="language-gql" data-lang="gql">-- Merge properties from parameter MATCH (p:Product {id: $product_id}) SET p += $updates; -- Conditional property merge MATCH (u:User {id: $user_id}) SET u += CASE WHEN $include_profile THEN {bio: $bio, avatar: $avatar} ELSE {} END; -- Copy properties between nodes MATCH (source:Template {id: $template_id}) MATCH (target:Document {id: $doc_id}) SET target += source {.format, .style, .settings}; </code></pre></div> <h3 id="conditional-updates" class="position-relative d-flex align-items-center group"> Conditional Updates <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="conditional-updates" aria-haspopup="dialog" aria-label="Share link: Conditional Updates"> Share link </button> </h3> <h4 id="set-with-case" class="position-relative d-flex align-items-center group"> SET with CASE <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="set-with-case" aria-haspopup="dialog" aria-label="Share link: SET with CASE"> Share link </button> </h4>Apply conditional logic to updates. <div class="highlight"><pre tabindex="0" class="chroma"><code class="language-gql" data-lang="gql">-- Conditional value assignment MATCH (p:Product) SET p.status = CASE WHEN p.inventory = 0 THEN 'out_of_stock' WHEN p.inventory < 10 THEN 'low_stock' ELSE 'in_stock' END; -- Multiple conditions MATCH (u:User) SET u.tier = CASE WHEN u.total_purchases >= 10000 THEN 'platinum' WHEN u.total_purchases >= 5000 THEN 'gold' WHEN u.total_purchases >= 1000 THEN 'silver' ELSE 'bronze' END; </code></pre></div> <h4 id="conditional-updates-with-where" class="position-relative d-flex align-items-center group"> Conditional Updates with WHERE <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="conditional-updates-with-where" aria-haspopup="dialog" aria-label="Share link: Conditional Updates with WHERE"> Share link </button> </h4>Filter which elements to update. <div class="highlight"><pre tabindex="0" class="chroma"><code class="language-gql" data-lang="gql">-- Update only matching elements MATCH (p:Product) WHERE p.category = 'Electronics' AND p.price < 100 SET p.on_sale = true; -- Complex conditions MATCH (u:User) WHERE u.created_at < datetime() - duration('P1Y') AND u.verified = false SET u.status = 'inactive', u.archived_at = datetime(); </code></pre></div> <h4 id="coalesce-for-default-values" class="position-relative d-flex align-items-center group"> COALESCE for 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="coalesce-for-default-values" aria-haspopup="dialog" aria-label="Share link: COALESCE for Default Values"> Share link </button> </h4>Set values only if not already present. <div class="highlight"><pre tabindex="0" class="chroma"><code class="language-gql" data-lang="gql">-- Set default if null MATCH (p:Person) SET p.country = COALESCE(p.country, 'Unknown'); -- Initialize missing fields MATCH (u:User) SET u.login_count = COALESCE(u.login_count, 0), u.settings = COALESCE(u.settings, {}), u.tags = COALESCE(u.tags, []); </code></pre></div> <h3 id="updating-relationships" class="position-relative d-flex align-items-center group"> Updating Relationships <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="updating-relationships" aria-haspopup="dialog" aria-label="Share link: Updating Relationships"> Share link </button> </h3> <h4 id="relationship-properties" class="position-relative d-flex align-items-center group"> Relationship Properties <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="relationship-properties" aria-haspopup="dialog" aria-label="Share link: Relationship Properties"> Share link </button> </h4>Modify properties on relationships. <div class="highlight"><pre tabindex="0" class="chroma"><code class="language-gql" data-lang="gql">-- Update relationship property MATCH (a:User)-[r:FOLLOWS]->(b:User) WHERE a.name = 'Alice' AND b.name = 'Bob' SET r.since = date('2025-01-01'); -- Add property to relationship MATCH (a:Person)-[r:KNOWS]->(b:Person) SET r.strength = 0.5; -- Update based on calculation MATCH (a:User)-[r:INTERACTED_WITH]->(b:User) SET r.interaction_count = r.interaction_count + 1, r.last_interaction = datetime(); </code></pre></div> <h4 id="bulk-relationship-updates" class="position-relative d-flex align-items-center group"> Bulk Relationship Updates <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="bulk-relationship-updates" aria-haspopup="dialog" aria-label="Share link: Bulk Relationship Updates"> Share link </button> </h4>Update multiple relationships at once. <div class="highlight"><pre tabindex="0" class="chroma"><code class="language-gql" data-lang="gql">-- Mark all relationships MATCH ()-[r:TEMPORARY]-() SET r.expires_at = datetime() + duration('P7D'); -- Update based on connected nodes MATCH (c:Customer)-[r:PURCHASED]->(p:Product) WHERE p.category = 'Premium' SET r.is_premium_purchase = true; </code></pre></div> <h3 id="label-management" class="position-relative d-flex align-items-center group"> Label Management <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="label-management" aria-haspopup="dialog" aria-label="Share link: Label Management"> Share link </button> </h3> <h4 id="adding-labels" class="position-relative d-flex align-items-center group"> Adding Labels <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-labels" aria-haspopup="dialog" aria-label="Share link: Adding Labels"> Share link </button> </h4>Add new labels to existing nodes. <div class="highlight"><pre tabindex="0" class="chroma"><code class="language-gql" data-lang="gql">-- Add single label MATCH (p:Person {is_verified: true}) SET p:Verified; -- Add multiple labels MATCH (e:Employee {is_manager: true}) SET e:Manager:Leadership; -- Conditional label addition MATCH (u:User) WHERE u.purchases > 100 SET u:PowerUser; </code></pre></div> <h4 id="removing-labels" class="position-relative d-flex align-items-center group"> Removing Labels <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-labels" aria-haspopup="dialog" aria-label="Share link: Removing Labels"> Share link </button> </h4>Use REMOVE to delete labels from nodes. <div class="highlight"><pre tabindex="0" class="chroma"><code class="language-gql" data-lang="gql">-- Remove single label MATCH (p:Person:Temporary) REMOVE p:Temporary; -- Remove after condition changes MATCH (u:User:Premium) WHERE u.subscription_end < date() REMOVE u:Premium; </code></pre></div> <h4 id="label-based-transformations" class="position-relative d-flex align-items-center group"> Label-Based Transformations <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="label-based-transformations" aria-haspopup="dialog" aria-label="Share link: Label-Based Transformations"> Share link </button> </h4>Change node categorization. <div class="highlight"><pre tabindex="0" class="chroma"><code class="language-gql" data-lang="gql">-- Promote user status MATCH (u:User:Standard) WHERE u.spending > 1000 SET u:Premium REMOVE u:Standard; -- Archive nodes MATCH (p:Post) WHERE p.created_at < datetime() - duration('P1Y') SET p:Archived REMOVE p:Active; </code></pre></div> <h3 id="set-with-other-clauses" class="position-relative d-flex align-items-center group"> SET with Other Clauses <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="set-with-other-clauses" aria-haspopup="dialog" aria-label="Share link: SET with Other Clauses"> Share link </button> </h3> <h4 id="set-with-create" class="position-relative d-flex align-items-center group"> SET with CREATE <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="set-with-create" aria-haspopup="dialog" aria-label="Share link: SET with CREATE"> Share link </button> </h4>Set properties on newly created elements. <div class="highlight"><pre tabindex="0" class="chroma"><code class="language-gql" data-lang="gql">-- Create and set CREATE (p:Product) SET p.name = $name, p.price = $price, p.created_at = datetime() RETURN p; -- Or inline during CREATE CREATE (p:Product { name: $name, price: $price, created_at: datetime() }) RETURN p; </code></pre></div> <h4 id="set-with-merge" class="position-relative d-flex align-items-center group"> SET with MERGE <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="set-with-merge" aria-haspopup="dialog" aria-label="Share link: SET with MERGE"> Share link </button> </h4>Update on match or create. <div class="highlight"><pre tabindex="0" class="chroma"><code class="language-gql" data-lang="gql">-- MERGE with ON MATCH SET MERGE (u:User {email: $email}) ON CREATE SET u.name = $name, u.created_at = datetime() ON MATCH SET u.last_login = datetime(), u.login_count = u.login_count + 1; -- Upsert pattern MERGE (p:Product {sku: $sku}) ON CREATE SET p = $product_data, p.created_at = datetime() ON MATCH SET p += $product_data, p.updated_at = datetime(); </code></pre></div> <h4 id="set-with-with" class="position-relative d-flex align-items-center group"> SET with WITH <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="set-with-with" aria-haspopup="dialog" aria-label="Share link: SET with WITH"> Share link </button> </h4>Chain updates through query pipeline. <div class="highlight"><pre tabindex="0" class="chroma"><code class="language-gql" data-lang="gql">-- Update then continue MATCH (o:Order {id: $order_id}) SET o.status = 'processing', o.processed_at = datetime() WITH o MATCH (o)-[:ORDERED_BY]->(c:Customer) SET c.last_order_at = datetime() RETURN o, c; -- Aggregate then update MATCH (c:Category)-[:CONTAINS]->(p:Product) WITH c, count(p) AS product_count, avg(p.price) AS avg_price SET c.product_count = product_count, c.average_price = avg_price; </code></pre></div> <h4 id="set-with-foreach" class="position-relative d-flex align-items-center group"> SET with FOREACH <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="set-with-foreach" aria-haspopup="dialog" aria-label="Share link: SET with FOREACH"> Share link </button> </h4>Update elements in a collection. <div class="highlight"><pre tabindex="0" class="chroma"><code class="language-gql" data-lang="gql">-- Update all nodes in a path MATCH path = (a:City)-[:ROAD*]->(b:City) WHERE a.name = 'Start' AND b.name = 'End' FOREACH (n IN nodes(path) | SET n.visited = true); -- Update from list MATCH (u:User {id: $user_id}) FOREACH (tag IN $new_tags | MERGE (t:Tag {name: tag}) MERGE (u)-[:TAGGED]->(t) ); </code></pre></div> <h3 id="bulk-update-patterns" class="position-relative d-flex align-items-center group"> Bulk Update 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="bulk-update-patterns" aria-haspopup="dialog" aria-label="Share link: Bulk Update Patterns"> Share link </button> </h3> <h4 id="updating-all-nodes-of-a-type" class="position-relative d-flex align-items-center group"> Updating All Nodes of a Type <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="updating-all-nodes-of-a-type" aria-haspopup="dialog" aria-label="Share link: Updating All Nodes of a Type"> Share link </button> </h4>Mass updates across the graph. <div class="highlight"><pre tabindex="0" class="chroma"><code class="language-gql" data-lang="gql">-- Add timestamp to all nodes MATCH (n:Document) SET n.migrated_at = datetime(); -- Initialize field MATCH (u:User) WHERE u.verified IS NULL SET u.verified = false; -- Schema migration MATCH (p:Product) SET p.price_currency = 'USD' WHERE p.price IS NOT NULL; </code></pre></div> <h4 id="batched-updates" class="position-relative d-flex align-items-center group"> Batched Updates <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="batched-updates" aria-haspopup="dialog" aria-label="Share link: Batched Updates"> Share link </button> </h4>Process large updates in batches. <div class="highlight"><pre tabindex="0" class="chroma"><code class="language-gql" data-lang="gql">-- Update in batches (application pattern) MATCH (n:Node) WHERE n.needs_update = true WITH n LIMIT 1000 SET n.updated = true, n.needs_update = false RETURN count(n) AS updated; -- Repeat until updated = 0 </code></pre></div> <h4 id="update-from-external-data" class="position-relative d-flex align-items-center group"> Update from External Data <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-from-external-data" aria-haspopup="dialog" aria-label="Share link: Update from External Data"> Share link </button> </h4>Apply updates from external sources. <div class="highlight"><pre tabindex="0" class="chroma"><code class="language-gql" data-lang="gql">-- Update from parameter list UNWIND $updates AS update MATCH (p:Product {id: update.id}) SET p.price = update.new_price, p.updated_at = datetime(); -- Batch property updates UNWIND $users AS user_data MATCH (u:User {id: user_data.id}) SET u += user_data.properties; </code></pre></div> <h3 id="computed-updates" class="position-relative d-flex align-items-center group"> Computed Updates <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="computed-updates" aria-haspopup="dialog" aria-label="Share link: Computed Updates"> Share link </button> </h3> <h4 id="mathematical-operations" class="position-relative d-flex align-items-center group"> Mathematical Operations <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="mathematical-operations" aria-haspopup="dialog" aria-label="Share link: Mathematical Operations"> Share link </button> </h4>Perform calculations during updates. <div class="highlight"><pre tabindex="0" class="chroma"><code class="language-gql" data-lang="gql">-- Increment MATCH (p:Post {id: $post_id}) SET p.view_count = p.view_count + 1; -- Decrement with bounds MATCH (p:Product {id: $product_id}) SET p.inventory = CASE WHEN p.inventory > 0 THEN p.inventory - 1 ELSE 0 END; -- Percentage calculation MATCH (p:Product) WHERE p.original_price IS NOT NULL SET p.discount_percent = round((1 - p.price / p.original_price) * 100, 1); </code></pre></div> <h4 id="aggregation-based-updates" class="position-relative d-flex align-items-center group"> Aggregation-Based Updates <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="aggregation-based-updates" aria-haspopup="dialog" aria-label="Share link: Aggregation-Based Updates"> Share link </button> </h4>Update using aggregated values. <div class="highlight"><pre tabindex="0" class="chroma"><code class="language-gql" data-lang="gql">-- Update with count MATCH (u:User)-[:POSTED]->(p:Post) WITH u, count(p) AS post_count SET u.post_count = post_count; -- Update with average MATCH (p:Product)<-[r:RATED]-(u:User) WITH p, avg(r.score) AS avg_rating, count(r) AS rating_count SET p.average_rating = avg_rating, p.rating_count = rating_count; -- Update from related nodes MATCH (d:Department)<-[:WORKS_IN]-(e:Employee) WITH d, sum(e.salary) AS total_salary, count(e) AS headcount SET d.total_salary_cost = total_salary, d.employee_count = headcount; </code></pre></div> <h4 id="string-transformations" class="position-relative d-flex align-items-center group"> String Transformations <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="string-transformations" aria-haspopup="dialog" aria-label="Share link: String Transformations"> Share link </button> </h4>Transform string properties. <div class="highlight"><pre tabindex="0" class="chroma"><code class="language-gql" data-lang="gql">-- Normalize MATCH (u:User) SET u.email = toLower(trim(u.email)); -- Generate slug MATCH (p:Post) SET p.slug = toLower(replace(p.title, ' ', '-')); -- Sanitize MATCH (c:Comment) SET c.text = trim(c.text); </code></pre></div> <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> <h4 id="update-safety" class="position-relative d-flex align-items-center group"> Update Safety <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-safety" aria-haspopup="dialog" aria-label="Share link: Update Safety"> Share link </button> </h4><ol> <li>Preview Before Updating: Check what will be affected</li> </ol> <div class="highlight"><pre tabindex="0" class="chroma"><code class="language-gql" data-lang="gql">-- First: Check what will be updated MATCH (p:Product) WHERE p.category = 'Electronics' RETURN p.name, p.price, p.price * 0.9 AS new_price LIMIT 10; -- Then: Apply the update MATCH (p:Product) WHERE p.category = 'Electronics' SET p.price = p.price * 0.9; </code></pre></div><ol start="2"> <li>Use Transactions: Wrap related updates together</li> </ol> <div class="highlight"><pre tabindex="0" class="chroma"><code class="language-gql" data-lang="gql">BEGIN; MATCH (o:Order {id: $order_id}) SET o.status = 'shipped', o.shipped_at = datetime(); MATCH (o:Order {id: $order_id})-[:CONTAINS]->(i:OrderItem) SET i.status = 'shipped'; COMMIT; </code></pre></div><ol start="3"> <li>Track Changes: Maintain audit trail</li> </ol> <div class="highlight"><pre tabindex="0" class="chroma"><code class="language-gql" data-lang="gql">MATCH (p:Product {id: $product_id}) SET p.previous_price = p.price, p.price = $new_price, p.price_updated_at = datetime(), p.price_updated_by = $user_id; </code></pre></div> <h4 id="performance-optimization" class="position-relative d-flex align-items-center group"> Performance Optimization <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-optimization" aria-haspopup="dialog" aria-label="Share link: Performance Optimization"> Share link </button> </h4><ol> <li>Index Filter Properties: Ensure properties used in WHERE are indexed</li> </ol> <div class="highlight"><pre tabindex="0" class="chroma"><code class="language-gql" data-lang="gql">CREATE INDEX product_category ON Product(category); MATCH (p:Product) WHERE p.category = 'Electronics' -- Uses index SET p.discount = 0.1; </code></pre></div><ol start="2"> <li>Batch Large Updates: Process in manageable chunks</li> </ol> <div class="highlight"><pre tabindex="0" class="chroma"><code class="language-gql" data-lang="gql">-- Batch processing pattern CALL { MATCH (n:Node) WHERE n.needs_migration = true WITH n LIMIT 10000 SET n.migrated = true, n.needs_migration = false RETURN count(n) AS processed } RETURN processed; </code></pre></div><ol start="3"> <li>Minimize Property Access: Compute once, use multiple times</li> </ol> <div class="highlight"><pre tabindex="0" class="chroma"><code class="language-gql" data-lang="gql">-- Good: Calculate once MATCH (p:Product) WITH p, p.price * 0.8 AS sale_price SET p.sale_price = sale_price, p.savings = p.price - sale_price; </code></pre></div> <h4 id="data-integrity" class="position-relative d-flex align-items-center group"> Data Integrity <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="data-integrity" aria-haspopup="dialog" aria-label="Share link: Data Integrity"> Share link </button> </h4><ol> <li>Validate Before Setting: Check data validity</li> </ol> <div class="highlight"><pre tabindex="0" class="chroma"><code class="language-gql" data-lang="gql">MATCH (u:User {id: $user_id}) WHERE $new_email =~ '^[a-zA-Z0-9._%+-]+@[a-zA-Z0-9.-]+\\.[a-zA-Z]{2,}$' SET u.email = $new_email; </code></pre></div><ol start="2"> <li>Use Constraints: Let the database enforce rules</li> </ol> <div class="highlight"><pre tabindex="0" class="chroma"><code class="language-gql" data-lang="gql">CREATE CONSTRAINT email_format ON (u:User) ASSERT u.email =~ '^[^@]+@[^@]+$'; </code></pre></div><ol start="3"> <li>Handle NULL Gracefully: Prevent accidental data loss</li> </ol> <div class="highlight"><pre tabindex="0" class="chroma"><code class="language-gql" data-lang="gql">MATCH (p:Product {id: $id}) SET p.description = COALESCE($description, p.description); </code></pre></div> <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> <h4 id="last-modified-tracking" class="position-relative d-flex align-items-center group"> Last Modified Tracking <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="last-modified-tracking" aria-haspopup="dialog" aria-label="Share link: Last Modified Tracking"> Share link </button> </h4><div class="highlight"><pre tabindex="0" class="chroma"><code class="language-gql" data-lang="gql">MATCH (n:Document {id: $id}) SET n.updated_at = datetime(), n.updated_by = $user_id; </code></pre></div> <h4 id="version-incrementing" class="position-relative d-flex align-items-center group"> Version Incrementing <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="version-incrementing" aria-haspopup="dialog" aria-label="Share link: Version Incrementing"> Share link </button> </h4><div class="highlight"><pre tabindex="0" class="chroma"><code class="language-gql" data-lang="gql">MATCH (n:Config {id: $id}) SET n.version = COALESCE(n.version, 0) + 1, n.data = $new_data; </code></pre></div> <h4 id="soft-delete" class="position-relative d-flex align-items-center group"> Soft Delete <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="soft-delete" aria-haspopup="dialog" aria-label="Share link: Soft Delete"> Share link </button> </h4><div class="highlight"><pre tabindex="0" class="chroma"><code class="language-gql" data-lang="gql">MATCH (n:Record {id: $id}) SET n.deleted = true, n.deleted_at = datetime(); </code></pre></div> <h4 id="status-transitions" class="position-relative d-flex align-items-center group"> Status Transitions <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="status-transitions" aria-haspopup="dialog" aria-label="Share link: Status Transitions"> Share link </button> </h4><div class="highlight"><pre tabindex="0" class="chroma"><code class="language-gql" data-lang="gql">MATCH (o:Order {id: $id}) WHERE o.status = 'pending' SET o.status = 'confirmed', o.confirmed_at = datetime(); </code></pre></div> <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/create/" >CREATE Clause</a> : Creating new elements</li> <li><a href="/tags/delete/" >DELETE Clause</a> : Removing elements</li> <li><a href="/tags/merge/" >MERGE Clause</a> : Upsert operations</li> <li><a href="/tags/where/" >WHERE Clause</a> : Filtering updates</li> <li><a href="/tags/with/" >WITH Clause</a> : Chaining operations</li> <li><a href="/tags/gql-reference/" >GQL Reference</a> : Complete GQL language reference</li> <li><a href="/tags/constraints/" >Constraints</a> : Data validation</li> </ul> <h3 id="further-reading" class="position-relative d-flex align-items-center group"> Further Reading <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="further-reading" aria-haspopup="dialog" aria-label="Share link: Further Reading"> Share link </button> </h3><ul> <li>GQL Tutorial - Updating Data: <code>/docs/gql-tutorial/updating-data/</code></li> <li>Schema Evolution Guide: <code>/docs/guides/schema-migration/</code></li> <li>Transaction Management: <code>/docs/transactions/overview/</code></li> <li>Data Integrity: <code>/docs/reference/constraints/</code></li> <li>Best Practices: <code>/docs/guides/best-practices/</code></li> </ul>

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