Delete Records
RushDB Python SDK provides methods for deleting records from your database. You can delete individual records by ID or delete multiple records matching specific criteria.
Overview
The delete methods allow you to:
- Delete a single record by ID
- Delete multiple records using search query filters
- Delete records directly from Record objects
- Perform conditional bulk deletions
Prerequisites
Before deleting records, make sure you have initialized the RushDB client with your API token:
from rushdb import RushDB
db = RushDB("RUSHDB_API_KEY", base_url="https://api.rushdb.com/api/v1")
Deleting a Single Record by ID
The delete_by_id() method allows you to delete a record using its unique identifier.
Syntax
db.records.delete_by_id(
id_or_ids: Union[str, List[str]],
transaction: Optional[Transaction] = None
) -> Dict[str, str]
Parameters
| Parameter | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|
id_or_ids | Union[str, List[str]] | Single ID or list of IDs to delete |
transaction | Optional[Transaction] | Optional transaction object |
Returns
A dictionary with the response data confirming the deletion.
Examples
Deleting a Single Record
# First, create or retrieve a record
product = db.records.create(
label="PRODUCT",
data={
"name": "Discontinued Item",
"price": 19.99
}
)
# Delete the record by its ID
response = db.records.delete_by_id(product.id)
print(f"Deletion response: {response}")
# Example output: {'message': 'Record deleted successfully'}
Deleting Multiple Records by ID
# Delete multiple records by their IDs
response = db.records.delete_by_id([
"018e4c71-f35a-7000-89cd-850db63a1e77",
"018e4c75-a2b3-7000-89cd-850db63a1e77",
"018e4c79-c4d5-7000-89cd-850db63a1e77"
])
print(f"Deletion response: {response}")
# Example output: {'message': '3 record(s) deleted successfully'}
Deleting Records with Query Filters
The delete() method allows you to delete multiple records that match specific criteria. The search query parameters are consistent across all RushDB APIs and follow the same structure as used in search operations.
Syntax
db.records.delete(
query: SearchQuery,
transaction: Optional[Transaction] = None
) -> Dict[str, str]
Parameters
| Parameter | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|
query | SearchQuery | Query to match records for deletion. See Search Introduction |
transaction | Optional[Transaction] | Optional transaction object |
Returns
A dictionary with the response data confirming the deletion.
Examples
Basic Query Deletion
# Delete records matching specific criteria
response = db.records.delete({
"labels": ["PRODUCT"], # See Labels in search: https://docs.rushdb.com/concepts/search/labels
"where": { # See Where clause: https://docs.rushdb.com/concepts/search/where
"price": {"$lt": 10},
"discontinued": True
}
})
print(f"Deletion response: {response}")
# Example output: {'message': '5 record(s) deleted successfully'}
Advanced Query Deletion
# Delete records with complex conditions using $or operator
response = db.records.delete({
"where": {
"$or": [ # Logical operators as described in Where clause documentation
{
"status": "archived",
"lastModified": {"$lt": "2024-01-01T00:00:00Z"}
},
{
"status": "inactive",
"isTemporary": True
}
]
},
"labels": ["DOCUMENT", "ATTACHMENT"] # Records with either DOCUMENT or ATTACHMENT label
})
print(f"Deletion response: {response}")
# Example output: {'message': '12 record(s) deleted successfully'}
Deleting Records from Record Objects
You can also delete records directly from Record objects.
Syntax
record.delete(
transaction: Optional[Transaction] = None
) -> Dict[str, str]
Parameters
| Parameter | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|
transaction | Optional[Transaction] | Optional transaction object |
Returns
A dictionary with the response data confirming the deletion.
Example
# Create a record
user = db.records.create(
label="USER",
data={
"name": "John Doe",
"email": "john@example.com"
}
)
# Perform operations with the record
# ...
# Delete the record when no longer needed
response = user.delete()
print(f"Deletion response: {response}")
# Example output: {'message': 'Record deleted successfully'}
Working with Transactions
For operations that need to be atomic, you can use transactions:
# Start a transaction
tx = db.tx.begin()
try:
# Create records in the transaction
product1 = db.records.create(
label="PRODUCT",
data={"name": "Item 1", "price": 10.99},
transaction=tx
)
product2 = db.records.create(
label="PRODUCT",
data={"name": "Item 2", "price": 20.99},
transaction=tx
)
# Delete the first product
db.records.delete_by_id(
id_or_ids=product1.id,
transaction=tx
)
# Delete other records matching a query
db.records.delete(
query={"labels": ["PRODUCT"], "where": {"discontinued": True}},
transaction=tx
)
# Commit all changes
tx.commit()
except Exception as e:
# If any operation fails, roll back all changes
tx.rollback()
print(f"Transaction failed: {e}")
Handling Relationships
When deleting records, all relationships associated with those records are automatically deleted. This ensures database integrity and prevents orphaned relationships.
Best Practices
- Use IDs for specific deletions when you know exactly which records to remove.
- Use queries for conditional deletions when you need to delete records based on specific criteria.
- Use transactions when deleting multiple related records to ensure data consistency.
- Consider performance for large-scale deletions by using appropriate filters.
- Handle exceptions properly to manage failed delete operations.
- Verify deletions after bulk operations to ensure the expected records were removed.
- Use label filtering to narrow down the scope of deletion operations.
- Leverage search operators from the Where clause documentation for precise targeting of records to delete.
- Remember that search parameters are consistent across all RushDB operations, including find(), delete(), and other methods.