# Please help me understand the Bool filter **URL:** \ **Category:** Elasticsearch\ **Created:** [June 8, 2013, 11:11pm UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/please-help-me-understand-the-bool-filter/12333 "2013-06-08T23:11:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![kwisarts](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/elastic/user_avatar/discuss.elastic.co/kwisarts/32/2004_2.png) [@kwisarts](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/kwisarts)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2013, 11:11pm UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/please-help-me-understand-the-bool-filter/12333/1 "2013-06-08T23:11:30Z")
These are essentially two questions: 1. How does the should part of a Bool filter influence the results returned? Could one say that where must creates an _AND_ combination of filters, should creates an _OR_? 2. I have used the Bool filter in something that I now realize, makes little sense. However, also don't understand its behavior: Given I have documents in my index which can have either value of _en_, _de_or _fr_ for the field _locale_, the following filter returns results with the locale being either _en_ or _fr_: { "filter": { "bool": { "must": [ { "term": { "tags.komma": "common", "\_cache": false } } ], "must\_not": [], "should": [ { "term": { "locale": "en", "\_cache": false } } ], "\_cache": false } } } Here's the result (silly, but functional example data): { took: 1 timed\_out: false \_shards: { total: 5 successful: 5 failed: 0 } hits: { total: 4 max\_score: 1 hits: [ { \_index: fde \_type: booth \_id: NbmePfyGQsKVR5F1gJ1phg \_score: 1 \_source: { idbooth: 40 idorganisation: 3 location: 3C13 name: English booth name description: English booth desc locale: en tags: common } } { \_index: fde \_type: booth \_id: HRBspOmTQ3C1y0jKRfw2FQ \_score: 1 \_source: { idbooth: 40 idorganisation: 3 location: 3C13 name: Nom français description: Descriptions française locale: fr tags: common } } { \_index: fde \_type: booth \_id: Qe6MkFdtQx-7h3YNCBZNDQ \_score: 1 \_source: { idbooth: 38 idorganisation: 3 location: 3C11 tags: booth-tag1, booth-tag-2, common name: Booth name description: Booth description locale: en } } { \_index: fde \_type: booth \_id: ULOdnX6hTxikQe7kHEpFiA \_score: 1 \_source: { idbooth: 41 idorganisation: 3 location: 3C45 tags: sdf, sdfg, common name: Second description: I was indexed, but not saved? locale: en } } ] } } The same result is being returned if I set _locale_ to be _fr_. If I use _de_ for the _locale_ field in should, I get { ``` took: 1 timed_out: false _shards: { total: 5 successful: 5 failed: 0 } hits: { total: 2 max_score: 1 hits: [ { _index: fde _type: booth _id: JMHUR79zT0SdoCir04EOrg _score: 1 _source: { idbooth: 43 idorganisation: 3 location: 3C87 tags: sdf, common name: Des isch a Tyroler Universität description: Isch des locale: de } } { _index: fde _type: booth _id: pcgnocJeRJSIPGpt0W206A _score: 1 _source: { idbooth: 42 idorganisation: 3 location: 3C99 tags: sdf, sdfg, common name: Neu, nur Deutsch description: Lei a deitsche Beschreibung is des locale: de } } ] } ``` } Question is: Why does the filter with should -\> locale -\> en/fr even show results where the should condition isn't met? Best regards, David -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "elasticsearch" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [elasticsearch+unsubscribe@googlegroups.com](mailto:elasticsearch+unsubscribe@googlegroups.com). For more options, visit [https://groups.google.com/groups/opt\_out](https://groups.google.com/groups/opt_out). ---
**Author:** ![kwisarts](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/elastic/user_avatar/discuss.elastic.co/kwisarts/32/2004_2.png) [@kwisarts](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/kwisarts)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2013, 11:22pm UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/please-help-me-understand-the-bool-filter/12333/2 "2013-06-08T23:22:28Z")
On 09/06/13 01:11, David Raison wrote: > 1. I have used the Bool filter in something that I now realize, makes > little sense. However, also don't understand its behavior: > Given I have documents in my index which can have either value of > /en/, /de/ or /fr/ for the field _locale_, the following filter > returns results with the locale being either /en/ or /fr/: Well I have now indexed another set of data and now having should { locale: en } no longer returns "fr" results (nor "de"). Maybe this was simply a hiccup. Regards, David -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "elasticsearch" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [elasticsearch+unsubscribe@googlegroups.com](mailto:elasticsearch+unsubscribe@googlegroups.com). For more options, visit [https://groups.google.com/groups/opt\_out](https://groups.google.com/groups/opt_out). ---
**Author:** ![dadoonet](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/elastic/user_avatar/discuss.elastic.co/dadoonet/32/137187_2.png) [@dadoonet](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/dadoonet)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2013, 1:24am UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/please-help-me-understand-the-bool-filter/12333/3 "2013-06-09T01:24:47Z")
Did you change refresh settings? Sounds like a refresh issue... -- David 😉 Twitter : @dadoonet / @elasticsearchfr / @scrutmydocs Le 9 juin 2013 à 01:22, David Raison [draison@gmail.com](mailto:draison@gmail.com) a écrit : > On 09/06/13 01:11, David Raison wrote: > > > 1. I have used the Bool filter in something that I now realize, makes little sense. However, also don't understand its behavior: > > Given I have documents in my index which can have either value of en, de or fr for the field locale, the following filter returns results with the locale being either en or fr: > > Well I have now indexed another set of data and now having should { locale: en } no longer returns "fr" results (nor "de"). > Maybe this was simply a hiccup. > > ## Regards, David > > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "elasticsearch" group. > To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [elasticsearch+unsubscribe@googlegroups.com](mailto:elasticsearch+unsubscribe@googlegroups.com). > For more options, visit [https://groups.google.com/groups/opt\_out](https://groups.google.com/groups/opt_out). -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "elasticsearch" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [elasticsearch+unsubscribe@googlegroups.com](mailto:elasticsearch+unsubscribe@googlegroups.com). For more options, visit [https://groups.google.com/groups/opt\_out](https://groups.google.com/groups/opt_out). ---
**Author:** ![kwisarts](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/elastic/user_avatar/discuss.elastic.co/kwisarts/32/2004_2.png) [@kwisarts](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/kwisarts)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2013, 6:30pm UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/please-help-me-understand-the-bool-filter/12333/4 "2013-06-13T18:30:15Z")
Hi and sorry for the late reply. Ah, no, I did not change any refresh settings. Where and when would one usually do something like that? I assumed that dropping an entire index and recreating it, including the setup of analyzers and mapping would sort of reset everything. Regards, David On Sun, Jun 9, 2013 at 3:24 AM, David Pilato [david@pilato.fr](mailto:david@pilato.fr) wrote: > Did you change refresh settings? > Sounds like a refresh issue... > > -- > David 😉 > Twitter : @dadoonet / @elasticsearchfr / @scrutmydocs > > Le 9 juin 2013 à 01:22, David Raison [draison@gmail.com](mailto:draison@gmail.com) a écrit : > > On 09/06/13 01:11, David Raison wrote: > > 1. I have used the Bool filter in something that I now realize, makes > little sense. However, also don't understand its behavior: > Given I have documents in my index which can have either value of _en_, \* > de\* or _fr_ for the field _locale_, the following filter returns results > with the locale being either _en_ or _fr_: > > Well I have now indexed another set of data and now having should { > locale: en } no longer returns "fr" results (nor "de"). > Maybe this was simply a hiccup. > > Regards, > David > > -- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "elasticsearch" group. > To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an > email to [elasticsearch+unsubscribe@googlegroups.com](mailto:elasticsearch+unsubscribe@googlegroups.com). > > For more options, visit [https://groups.google.com/groups/opt\_out](https://groups.google.com/groups/opt_out). > > -- > You received this message because you are subscribed to a topic in the > Google Groups "elasticsearch" group. > To unsubscribe from this topic, visit > [https://groups.google.com/d/topic/elasticsearch/-GeCVCtE05E/unsubscribe?hl=en-US](https://groups.google.com/d/topic/elasticsearch/-GeCVCtE05E/unsubscribe?hl=en-US) > . > To unsubscribe from this group and all its topics, send an email to > [elasticsearch+unsubscribe@googlegroups.com](mailto:elasticsearch+unsubscribe@googlegroups.com). > For more options, visit [https://groups.google.com/groups/opt\_out](https://groups.google.com/groups/opt_out). -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "elasticsearch" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [elasticsearch+unsubscribe@googlegroups.com](mailto:elasticsearch+unsubscribe@googlegroups.com). For more options, visit [https://groups.google.com/groups/opt\_out](https://groups.google.com/groups/opt_out). ---
**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, 2:31am UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/please-help-me-understand-the-bool-filter/12333/5 "2017-07-06T02:31:22Z")