[[mapping]] = Mapping [partintro] -- Mapping is the process of defining how a document, and the fields it contains, are stored and indexed. For instance, use mappings to define: * which string fields should be treated as full text fields. * which fields contain numbers, dates, or geolocations. * the <> of date values. * custom rules to control the mapping for <>. [float] [[mapping-type]] == Mapping Type Each index has one _mapping type_ which determines how the document will be indexed. deprecated[6.0.0,See <>]. A mapping type has: <>:: Meta-fields are used to customize how a document's metadata associated is treated. Examples of meta-fields include the document's <>, <>, <>, and <> fields. <> or _properties_:: A mapping type contains a list of fields or `properties` pertinent to the document. [float] == Field datatypes Each field has a data `type` which can be: * a simple type like <>, <>, <>, <>, <>, <> or <>. * a type which supports the hierarchical nature of JSON such as <> or <>. * or a specialised type like <>, <>, or <>. It is often useful to index the same field in different ways for different purposes. For instance, a `string` field could be <> as a `text` field for full-text search, and as a `keyword` field for sorting or aggregations. Alternatively, you could index a string field with the <>, the <> analyzer, and the <>. This is the purpose of _multi-fields_. Most datatypes support multi-fields via the <> parameter. [[mapping-limit-settings]] [float] === Settings to prevent mappings explosion Defining too many fields in an index is a condition that can lead to a mapping explosion, which can cause out of memory errors and difficult situations to recover from. This problem may be more common than expected. As an example, consider a situation in which every new document inserted introduces new fields. This is quite common with dynamic mappings. Every time a document contains new fields, those will end up in the index's mappings. This isn't worrying for a small amount of data, but it can become a problem as the mapping grows. The following settings allow you to limit the number of field mappings that can be created manually or dynamically, in order to prevent bad documents from causing a mapping explosion: `index.mapping.total_fields.limit`:: The maximum number of fields in an index. Field and object mappings, as well as field aliases count towards this limit. The default value is `1000`. `index.mapping.depth.limit`:: The maximum depth for a field, which is measured as the number of inner objects. For instance, if all fields are defined at the root object level, then the depth is `1`. If there is one object mapping, then the depth is `2`, etc. The default is `20`. `index.mapping.nested_fields.limit`:: The maximum number of `nested` fields in an index, defaults to `50`. Indexing 1 document with 100 nested fields actually indexes 101 documents as each nested document is indexed as a separate hidden document. `index.mapping.nested_objects.limit`:: The maximum number of `nested` json objects within a single document across all nested fields, defaults to 10000. Indexing one document with an array of 100 objects within a nested field, will actually create 101 documents, as each nested object will be indexed as a separate hidden document. [float] == Dynamic mapping Fields and mapping types do not need to be defined before being used. Thanks to _dynamic mapping_, new field names will be added automatically, just by indexing a document. New fields can be added both to the top-level mapping type, and to inner <> and <> fields. The <> rules can be configured to customise the mapping that is used for new fields. [float] == Explicit mappings You know more about your data than Elasticsearch can guess, so while dynamic mapping can be useful to get started, at some point you will want to specify your own explicit mappings. You can create field mappings when you <>, and you can add fields to an existing index with the <>. [float] == Updating existing field mappings Other than where documented, *existing field mappings cannot be updated*. Changing the mapping would mean invalidating already indexed documents. Instead, you should create a new index with the correct mappings and <> your data into that index. If you only wish to rename a field and not change its mappings, it may make sense to introduce an <> field. [float] == Example mapping A mapping can be specified when creating an index, as follows: [source,js] --------------------------------------- PUT my_index <1> { "mappings": { "properties": { <2> "title": { "type": "text" }, <3> "name": { "type": "text" }, <4> "age": { "type": "integer" }, <5> "created": { "type": "date", <6> "format": "strict_date_optional_time||epoch_millis" } } } } --------------------------------------- // CONSOLE <1> Create an index called `my_index`. <2> Specify the fields or _properties_ in the mapping. <3> Specify that the `title` field contains `text` values. <4> Specify that the `name` field contains `text` values. <5> Specify that the `age` field contains `integer` values. <6> Specify that the `created` field contains `date` values in two possible formats. -- include::mapping/removal_of_types.asciidoc[] include::mapping/types.asciidoc[] include::mapping/fields.asciidoc[] include::mapping/params.asciidoc[] include::mapping/dynamic-mapping.asciidoc[]