# Search\_after giving wrong result with backward pagination in elasticsearch
**URL:** https://discuss.elastic.co/t/search-after-giving-wrong-result-with-backward-pagination-in-elasticsearch/190983
**Category:** Elasticsearch
**Created:** [July 17, 2019, 12:02pm UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/search-after-giving-wrong-result-with-backward-pagination-in-elasticsearch/190983 "2019-07-17T12:02:00Z")
**Posts on this page:** 4
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@akhilmathew001](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/akhilmathew001)
#### Post date: [July 17, 2019, 12:02pm UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/search-after-giving-wrong-result-with-backward-pagination-in-elasticsearch/190983/1 "2019-07-17T12:02:00Z")
With elasticsearch, I am trying to implement pagination with the help of search\_after. I am getting an issue when I am doing backward pagination, ie. wrong result (Differs from actual results from the previous page).
For forward pagination, I am using elastic query as follows..
```
{
"sort": [{
"threshold": "desc"
}, {
"last_login": {
"order": "desc",
"mode": "avg"
}
}, {
"id": {
"order": "asc"
}
}],
"search_after": ["0", 1563037185, "3591152"],
"from": 0,
"_source": [],
"track_total_hits": true,
"track_scores": false,
"aggs": {},
"query": {
"bool": {
"filter": {
"bool": {
"should": [],
"must_not": [],
"must": []
}
},
"should": [],
"must_not": [],
"must": []
}
},
"size": 25
}
```
Note: Here search\_after value is the sort array of the last user from the current pagination.
For doing reverse pagination,
I am just reversing the sort order of the sorting options as mentioned in the thread [elastic discussion](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/how-to-get-a-previous-page-from-elasticsearch-using-search-after/105028/2). My elastic query is now as follows..
```
{
"sort": [{
"threshold": "asc"
}, {
"last_login": {
"order": "asc",
"mode": "avg"
}
}, {
"id": {
"order": "desc"
}
}],
"search_after": ["0", 1561460886, "3275906"],
"from": 0,
"_source": [],
"track_total_hits": true,
"track_scores": false,
"aggs": {},
"query": {
"bool": {
"filter": {
"bool": {
"should": [],
"must_not": [],
"must": []
}
},
"should": [],
"must_not": [],
"must": []
}
},
"size": 25
}
```
Here search\_after is the value from the sort array of the last user in the current pagination. This time instead of showing previous page results, elastic gives some other results.
Note: Elasticsearch version 7.2
**NB: There is no realtime update or indexing happening to the elasticsearch.**
---
### Author:  [@xeraa](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/xeraa)
#### Post date: [July 30, 2019, 2:51am UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/search-after-giving-wrong-result-with-backward-pagination-in-elasticsearch/190983/2 "2019-07-30T02:51:41Z")
> [@akhilmathew001](#):
>
> elastic gives some other results
Trying to understand what is happening there: The sort order is wrong or the start position / offset is not what you expect?
---
### Author:  [@akhilmathew001](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/akhilmathew001)
#### Post date: [July 31, 2019, 7:27am UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/search-after-giving-wrong-result-with-backward-pagination-in-elasticsearch/190983/3 "2019-07-31T07:27:11Z")
I am getting the previous page in a reversed order. Previous page first user is coming in last with search\_after backward pagination. If I am using sorting based on score then entirly different page is coming.
---
### Author:  [@system](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/system)
#### Post date: [August 28, 2019, 7:27am UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/search-after-giving-wrong-result-with-backward-pagination-in-elasticsearch/190983/4 "2019-08-28T07:27:18Z")
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