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[mystic matrix]

can you index values in array in convex db documents

[brittle sandal]

Hi @mystic matrix. I'm kapa.ai, your friendly support bot. I will try to answer your question by searching through the knowledge base. :wave:

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No, you currently cannot index array values directly in Convex (for example, you can’t have an index that lets you efficiently query “documents where tags array contains X”). [Many-to-many arrays; Array indexing thread]

Because of this:

• Using an array field is fine when:

  • You only need to read the array from the owning document, and
  • You don’t need to efficiently query “who has this element in their array,” and
  • The arrays stay relatively small. [Many-to-many arrays]

• If you do need efficient lookups by an element (e.g. “all users with choice X”, “all products with tag Y”), the recommended pattern is a separate join/relationship table (e.g. { userId, choiceId }) with indexes on those scalar fields. [Many-to-many arrays; Array indexing thread]

There is also a note from Convex staff that array indexing is not on the near-term roadmap and that join tables are the expected solution for now. [Array indexing thread]

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