# A Question on whether to use a Nested Datatype **URL:** \ **Category:** Elasticsearch\ **Created:** [November 18, 2019, 10:07pm UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/a-question-on-whether-to-use-a-nested-datatype/208394 "2019-11-18T22:07:28Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 1\ **Showing post:** 4
**Author:** ![Mark\_Harwood](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/elastic/user_avatar/discuss.elastic.co/mark_harwood/32/10538_2.png) [@Mark\_Harwood](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/Mark_Harwood)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2019, 7:49am UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/a-question-on-whether-to-use-a-nested-datatype/208394/4 "2019-11-21T07:49:10Z")
I’ve shared this flowchart before to help with the decision process for nested: > [@Indexing Hierarchical Couchbase Documents](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/indexing-hierarchical-couchbase-documents/70400/2): > > From the example documents you supplied there's no indication that doc 2 should be related to doc 1. You have 3 options : Collapse all source docs into a single "flat" JSON doc Collapse all source docs into a single "nested" JSON doc [1] Store parent and child source docs separately but relate them when you add them [2] The decision process for why you would choose one approach over another is roughly this: I'm unfamiliar with the couchbase plugin and to what extent it can be made… --- _[View the full topic](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/a-question-on-whether-to-use-a-nested-datatype/208394)._