Document Versioning

Marmik_Shah · 2023-02-04T19:47:22.165Z

We are using C# driver in .netcore. We are looking for sound implementation of Document Versioning similar to SQL Server versioning. I have gone through BlogPost where they discuss document versioning.

Thanks

Sumanta_Mukhopadhyay · 2023-02-05T11:31:33.216Z

Document versioning in MongoDB can be implemented in multiple ways, each with its pros and cons. Here are a few options:

Embed version in the Document: Store a version field in each document and increment it with each update.
Store each version as a separate document: Store each version of the document as a separate document in the collection, with a unique version identifier.
Use MongoDB’s built-in change streams: MongoDB 4.0 and later support change streams, which can be used to track changes to a collection in real-time.
Use a separate collection for version history: Store the version history of a document in a separate collection, which can be linked to the original document using a reference.

Whichever method you choose, make sure to test it thoroughly and to consider the trade-off between the complexity of the solution and the requirements for versioning in your use case.

Marmik_Shah · 2023-02-05T18:07:16.490Z

Does the process which reads Change Stream have to be running consciously or it can have downtime? Is there the concept of “resume from” when I start reading from ChangeStream again? What are the provisions for consistency in this?
I was also thinking about implementing versioning in my application itself with the below approach.

Below operations would be in the transaction

Insert for the document (newDocument) comes in with PrimaryKey = PolicytId

Get the CurrentVersion from the database using PolicyId
Assign the Version number of the newDocument as CurrentVersion + 1
Delete existing document and insert newDocument in collection
Also insert newDocument in history_collection or archive_collection

What do you think about this approach?

kevinadi · 2023-02-06T00:39:30.780Z

Hi @Marmik_Shah

There are a couple of blog posts that may be useful to you regarding this topic:

How to Track Versions with MongoDB
Further Thoughts on How to Track Versions with MongoDB

Note that those two posts are quite technical, but contains a lot of interesting information regarding the pros/cons of some approaches. Those are a bit old, but still relevant today since it deals with schema design.

Best regards
Kevin

steevej · 2023-02-06T14:00:00.704Z

Thanks for the links.

Marmik_Shah:

Does the process which reads Change Stream have to be running consciously or it can have downtime? Is there the concept of “resume from” when I start reading from ChangeStream again? What are the provisions for consistency in this?

See

mongodb.com