MongoDB Update Operators

MongoDB update operators offer powerful tools for modifying documents within a collection which provides flexibility and efficiency in database operations. From setting and unsetting fields to manipulating arrays and applying bitwise operations. In this article, we will understand different Update Operators which is used in MongoDB.

Update Operators

• Update operators in MongoDB are special commands used to modify documents within a collection. They provide powerful functionalities for updating specific fields, arrays, and embedded documents and ensuring efficient data manipulation without needing to retrieve and replace entire documents.
  
• MongoDB's update operators include $set for setting or updating field values, $unset for removing fields, $inc for incrementing numeric values, $addToSet for adding unique elements to arrays, $push for appending elements to arrays, $pull for removing specific elements from arrays, $currentDate for setting fields to the current date/time, and more.

1. Fields

MongoDB allows us to update the individual fields within a document.

2. Arrays

The following modifiers are useful for manipulating array data.

3. Modifiers

MongoDB offers modifiers that bring additional functionality to the update operation.

4. Bitwise

Example: Update Operators

Example 1: Using $currentDate

Imagine you have a collection of blog posts, and when editing. This timestamping operation can be assisted by the $currentDate operator.

// Before Update
db.blogPosts.findOne({ _id: postId })

// Update using $currentDate
db.blogPosts.update(
  { _id: postId },
  { $currentDate: { lastModified: true } }
)

// After Update
db.blogPosts.findOne({ _id: postId })

Output:

// Before Update
{
  _id: ObjectId("5fd0c7b86ee8a1475896a117"),
  title: "MongoDB Update Operators",
  content: "Introduction to MongoDB update operators...",
  lastModified: ISODate("2023-01-01T12:00:00Z")
}
// After Update
{
  _id: ObjectId("5fd0c7b86ee8a1475896a117"),
  title: "MongoDB Update Operators",
  content: "Introduction to MongoDB update operators...",
  lastModified: ISODate("2023-12-13T15:30:00Z")
}

Before Updates

// Retrieve a blog post with a specific ID
db.blogPosts.findOne({ _id: postId })

Before doing any editing, this line first gets a blog post from the MongoDB collection named blogPosts. It does this by looking for a document with the specific _id (a unique identifier), which each blog post has.

Update using $currentDate

// Update the "lastModified" field to the current date and time
db.blogPosts.update({ _id: postId }, { $currentDate: { lastModified: true } })

This line updates a particular post in the blogPosts collection. This update is focused on the document with a given _id (unique identifier). The update operation uses the $currentDate operator to set its value of lastModified field into current date and time. In fact, it's like adding a time stamp to the blog post showing when it was last modified.

After Update

// Retrieve the updated blog post
db.blogPosts.findOne({ _id: postId })

Following the update, this line retrieves again to observe how things have changed. Now, the lastModified field should be set to today's date and time so that people can see when this blog post was last altered.

Example 2 : Using $inc and $set

Consider a scenario where you have a collection of products, and you want to update the inventory count and set a new discount for a specific product.

// Before Update
db.products.findOne({ _id: productId })

// Update using $inc and $set
db.products.update(
  { _id: productId },
  {
    $inc: { inventory: -5 }, // Decrement inventory by 5 units
    $set: { discount: 0.1 }  // Set a new discount of 10%
  }
)

// After Update
db.products.findOne({ _id: productId })

Output:

// Before Update
{
  _id: ObjectId("5fd0c7b86ee8a1475896a118"),
  name: "Smartphone XYZ",
  inventory: 100,
  discount: 0.05
}
// After Update
{
  _id: ObjectId("5fd0c7b86ee8a1475896a118"),
  name: "Smartphone XYZ",
  inventory: 95,
  discount: 0.1
}

Before Updates

// Retrieve product information with a specific ID
db.products.findOne({ _id: productId })

This line retrieves a product document from the MongoDB collection products. It seeks a document with exactly the same_id as productId.

Update using $inc and $set

// Update the product with specified changes
db.products.update(
  { _id: productId },
  {
    $inc: { inventory: -5 }, // Decrease inventory by 5 units
    $set: { discount: 0.1 }  // Set a new discount of 10%
  }
)

This block updates a particular product in the products collection. The product is identified by its unique_id. The update operation uses two operators:

• $inc: This operator increments (or in this case, decrements with a negative value) the current value of a field. In this example, it decreases the inventory field by 5 units.
• $set: This operator sets the value of a field. Here, it sets the discount field to 0.1, representing a new discount of 10%.

After Updates

// Retrieve the updated product information
db.products.findOne({ _id: productId })

Following the update, this line retrieves the same product to see the changes. Now, the inventory should be reduced by 5 units, and the discount should reflect the new value of 0.1.

This code is effectively updating a product's information in MongoDB. It decreases the inventory by 5 units and sets a new discount of 10%, providing a practical example of how to modify data in a MongoDB collection.

Conclusion

MongoDB Updatе Opеrators is еffеctivе data managеmеnt. Thе operators providеs a powerful toolkit for your data to meet evolving requirements. Whether it's updating fields, arrays, or introducing new elements, MongoDB's updatе capabilitiеs offеr flexibility and precision.