# Doubt on updating mappings **URL:** \ **Category:** Elasticsearch\ **Created:** [May 3, 2010, 7:53am UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/doubt-on-updating-mappings/2936 "2010-05-03T07:53:10Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Mahendra\_M](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/elastic/user_avatar/discuss.elastic.co/mahendra_m/32/3128_2.png) [@Mahendra\_M](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/Mahendra_M)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2010, 7:53am UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/doubt-on-updating-mappings/2936/1 "2010-05-03T07:53:10Z")
Hi, Had a few queries on using mappings. Mostly noob questions. I checked the docs, but I was unable to find the answers. I noticed this behaviour while testing ES. - On a particular index, I have 100 documents indexed. - After this, I update the mapping ( updated include\_in\_all & store for a few fields ) - After this, I try a search query for \_all fields and also with the 'fields' argument - I noticed that my mapping update has not taken effect. - Now, I re-index the 100 documents and my queries work with the new mapping. Am I doing the thing wrong or is this how it is designed ? As in, if mapping is updated, then all documents have to be re-indexed for the new mapping to be applicable on them. On a similar topic, does this apply to index configuration also. Say I have an index with 2 shards and 2 replicas each. I have X documents indexed. If I re-configure the index with 3 shards and 4 replicas, will things be taken care of automatically ? Or should I re-index the documents again ? PS: Elastic Search is really a wonderful tool 🙂 Regards, Mahendra [http://twitter.com/mahendra](http://twitter.com/mahendra) ---
**Author:** ![kimchy](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/elastic/user_avatar/discuss.elastic.co/kimchy/32/44952_2.png) [@kimchy](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/kimchy)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2010, 8:28am UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/doubt-on-updating-mappings/2936/2 "2010-05-03T08:28:34Z")
When updating mappings, you might have conflicts. Conflicts mean that you are trying to set something that can't be set. By default in 0.6, conflicts are ignored. I changed it to not be ignored in upcoming 0.7 so things will be more obvious. You can always control that using the ignore\_conflicts parameter. In your case, trying to change some settings on an existing mapper, it is considered as a conflict. In the future, some settings might be applied dynamically, though without reindexing, just for new data indexed. Note, buy the way, that you can upgrade an existing single mapping into a multi\_field mapping, which is nice. Then, you can add more mapping on that multi\_field mapping (its not considered a conflict). But, this will only apply to new data indexed. cheers, shay.banon On Mon, May 3, 2010 at 10:53 AM, Mahendra M [mahendra.m@gmail.com](mailto:mahendra.m@gmail.com) wrote: > Hi, > > Had a few queries on using mappings. Mostly noob questions. I checked > the docs, but I was unable to find the answers. > > I noticed this behaviour while testing ES. > > - On a particular index, I have 100 documents indexed. > - After this, I update the mapping ( updated include\_in\_all & store > for a few fields ) > - After this, I try a search query for \_all fields and also with the > 'fields' argument > - I noticed that my mapping update has not taken effect. > - Now, I re-index the 100 documents and my queries work with the new > mapping. > > Am I doing the thing wrong or is this how it is designed ? As in, if > mapping is updated, then all documents have to be re-indexed for the > new mapping to be applicable on them. > > On a similar topic, does this apply to index configuration also. > Say I have an index with 2 shards and 2 replicas each. I have X > documents indexed. If I re-configure the index with 3 shards and 4 > replicas, will things be taken care of automatically ? Or should I > re-index the documents again ? > > PS: Elastic Search is really a wonderful tool 🙂 > > Regards, > Mahendra > > [http://twitter.com/mahendra](http://twitter.com/mahendra) ---
**Author:** ![Mahendra\_M](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/elastic/user_avatar/discuss.elastic.co/mahendra_m/32/3128_2.png) [@Mahendra\_M](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/Mahendra_M)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2010, 1:30pm UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/doubt-on-updating-mappings/2936/3 "2010-05-03T13:30:55Z")
On Mon, May 3, 2010 at 1:58 PM, Shay Banon [shay.banon@elasticsearch.com](mailto:shay.banon@elasticsearch.com) wrote: > In your case, trying to change some settings on an existing mapper, it is > considered as a conflict. In the future, some settings might be applied > dynamically, though without reindexing, just for new data indexed. Sounds good. So, if I have to change the mapping, I will re-index the data. Though in production, this will be a very very rare scenario. Thanks, Mahendra ---
**Author:** ![mooky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/43a26b/32.png) [@mooky](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/mooky)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2010, 4:10pm UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/doubt-on-updating-mappings/2936/4 "2010-05-03T16:10:49Z")
Since elastic stores the raw data, it's possible the re-indexing could be done entirely internally, no? -N On 3 May 2010, at 14:30, Mahendra M [mahendra.m@gmail.com](mailto:mahendra.m@gmail.com) wrote: > On Mon, May 3, 2010 at 1:58 PM, Shay Banon \<[shay.banon@elasticsearch.com](mailto:shay.banon@elasticsearch.com) > > > wrote: > > In your case, trying to change some settings on an existing mapper, > > it is > > considered as a conflict. In the future, some settings might be > > applied > > dynamically, though without reindexing, just for new data indexed. > > Sounds good. So, if I have to change the mapping, I will re-index the > data. Though in production, this will be a very very rare scenario. > > Thanks, > Mahendra ---
**Author:** ![kimchy](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/elastic/user_avatar/discuss.elastic.co/kimchy/32/44952_2.png) [@kimchy](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/kimchy)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2010, 4:52pm UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/doubt-on-updating-mappings/2936/5 "2010-05-03T16:52:05Z")
Yep, if storing the \_source is enabled, then there can be an "index\_to" API that will completely reindex one index into another. On Mon, May 3, 2010 at 7:10 PM, Nick Minutello [nick.minutello@gmail.com](mailto:nick.minutello@gmail.com)wrote: > Since elastic stores the raw data, it's possible the re-indexing could be > done entirely internally, no? > > -N > > On 3 May 2010, at 14:30, Mahendra M [mahendra.m@gmail.com](mailto:mahendra.m@gmail.com) wrote: > > On Mon, May 3, 2010 at 1:58 PM, Shay Banon [shay.banon@elasticsearch.com](mailto:shay.banon@elasticsearch.com) > > > wrote: > > > > > In your case, trying to change some settings on an existing mapper, it is > > > considered as a conflict. In the future, some settings might be applied > > > dynamically, though without reindexing, just for new data indexed. > > > > Sounds good. So, if I have to change the mapping, I will re-index the > > data. Though in production, this will be a very very rare scenario. > > > > Thanks, > > Mahendra ---
**Author:** ![system](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/elastic/original/3X/1/a/1ac57faf039f6b580b3f104ef42a2a89e41014de.png) [@system](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/system)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2017, 4:24am UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/doubt-on-updating-mappings/2936/6 "2017-07-06T04:24:19Z")