Controlling updatedAt Field in Sequelize: A Comprehensive Guide

Sequelize, a popular JavaScript ORM, provides automatic timestamping for model instances by default, updating the createdAt and updatedAt fields. However, in some scenarios, you may want more control over when updatedAt gets updated.

Disabling Automatic updatedAt Updates

To completely disable automatic updates for updatedAt, you can use the timestamps property in the model definition:

const SuitesBooking = await sequelize.define('suitesbooking', {
    // ... other attributes
}, {
    timestamps: false, // Disable automatic updates for createdAt and updatedAt
});

By setting timestamps to false, Sequelize won’t automatically manage updatedAt.

Conditional Updating with Hooks

If you want more granular control, especially if you want to update createdAt but not updatedAt in certain scenarios, Sequelize provides hooks. Let’s look at an example using beforeBulkUpdate:

const SuitesBooking = await sequelize.define('suitesbooking', {
    // ... other attributes
}, {
    hooks: {
        beforeBulkUpdate: (options) => {
            // Conditionally update 'status' without affecting 'updatedAt'
            if (options.individualHooks) {
                options.fields = ['status'];
                options.attributes = { status: options.attributes.status };
            }
        },
    },
});

In this example, we’re updating the status field without affecting updatedAt when beforeBulkUpdate is triggered.

Conclusion

Sequelize provides flexible options for controlling the updatedAt field. Whether you want to disable automatic updates entirely or conditionally update specific fields, these approaches give you the power to tailor the behavior according to your application’s requirements.

Remember to choose the method that best aligns with your use case, providing the desired balance between automation and manual control.

By understanding Sequelize’s capabilities, you can optimize your workflow and ensure your data is managed exactly as needed.