# Working with Global Secondary Indexes: Java
You can use the AWS SDK for Java Document API to create an Amazon DynamoDB table with one or more global secondary indexes, describe the indexes on the table, and perform queries using the indexes.
The following are the common steps for table operations.
1. Create an instance of the `DynamoDB` class.
1. Provide the required and optional parameters for the operation by creating the corresponding request objects.
1. Call the appropriate method provided by the client that you created in the preceding step.
**Topics**
+ [Create a table with a Global Secondary Index](#GSIJavaDocumentAPI.CreateTableWithIndex)
+ [Describe a table with a Global Secondary Index](#GSIJavaDocumentAPI.DescribeTableWithIndex)
+ [Query a Global Secondary Index](#GSIJavaDocumentAPI.QueryAnIndex)
+ [Example: Global Secondary Indexes using the AWS SDK for Java document API](GSIJavaDocumentAPI.Example.md)
## Create a table with a Global Secondary Index
You can create global secondary indexes at the same time that you create a table. To do this, use `CreateTable` and provide your specifications for one or more global secondary indexes. The following Java code example creates a table to hold information about weather data. The partition key is `Location` and the sort key is `Date`. A global secondary index named `PrecipIndex` allows fast access to precipitation data for various locations.
The following are the steps to create a table with a global secondary index, using the DynamoDB document API.
1. Create an instance of the `DynamoDB` class.
1. Create an instance of the `CreateTableRequest` class to provide the request information.
You must provide the table name, its primary key, and the provisioned throughput values. For the global secondary index, you must provide the index name, its provisioned throughput settings, the attribute definitions for the index sort key, the key schema for the index, and the attribute projection.
1. Call the `createTable` method by providing the request object as a parameter.
The following Java code example demonstrates the preceding steps. The code creates a table (`WeatherData`) with a global secondary index (`PrecipIndex`). The index partition key is `Date` and its sort key is `Precipitation`. All of the table attributes are projected into the index. Users can query this index to obtain weather data for a particular date, optionally sorting the data by precipitation amount.
Because `Precipitation` is not a key attribute for the table, it is not required. However, `WeatherData` items without `Precipitation` do not appear in `PrecipIndex`.
```
AmazonDynamoDB client = AmazonDynamoDBClientBuilder.standard().build();
DynamoDB dynamoDB = new DynamoDB(client);
// Attribute definitions
ArrayList attributeDefinitions = new ArrayList();
attributeDefinitions.add(new AttributeDefinition()
.withAttributeName("Location")
.withAttributeType("S"));
attributeDefinitions.add(new AttributeDefinition()
.withAttributeName("Date")
.withAttributeType("S"));
attributeDefinitions.add(new AttributeDefinition()
.withAttributeName("Precipitation")
.withAttributeType("N"));
// Table key schema
ArrayList tableKeySchema = new ArrayList();
tableKeySchema.add(new KeySchemaElement()
.withAttributeName("Location")
.withKeyType(KeyType.HASH)); //Partition key
tableKeySchema.add(new KeySchemaElement()
.withAttributeName("Date")
.withKeyType(KeyType.RANGE)); //Sort key
// PrecipIndex
GlobalSecondaryIndex precipIndex = new GlobalSecondaryIndex()
.withIndexName("PrecipIndex")
.withProvisionedThroughput(new ProvisionedThroughput()
.withReadCapacityUnits((long) 10)
.withWriteCapacityUnits((long) 1))
.withProjection(new Projection().withProjectionType(ProjectionType.ALL));
ArrayList indexKeySchema = new ArrayList();
indexKeySchema.add(new KeySchemaElement()
.withAttributeName("Date")
.withKeyType(KeyType.HASH)); //Partition key
indexKeySchema.add(new KeySchemaElement()
.withAttributeName("Precipitation")
.withKeyType(KeyType.RANGE)); //Sort key
precipIndex.setKeySchema(indexKeySchema);
CreateTableRequest createTableRequest = new CreateTableRequest()
.withTableName("WeatherData")
.withProvisionedThroughput(new ProvisionedThroughput()
.withReadCapacityUnits((long) 5)
.withWriteCapacityUnits((long) 1))
.withAttributeDefinitions(attributeDefinitions)
.withKeySchema(tableKeySchema)
.withGlobalSecondaryIndexes(precipIndex);
Table table = dynamoDB.createTable(createTableRequest);
System.out.println(table.getDescription());
```
You must wait until DynamoDB creates the table and sets the table status to `ACTIVE`. After that, you can begin putting data items into the table.
## Describe a table with a Global Secondary Index
To get information about global secondary indexes on a table, use `DescribeTable`. For each index, you can access its name, key schema, and projected attributes.
The following are the steps to access global secondary index information a table.
1. Create an instance of the `DynamoDB` class.
1. Create an instance of the `Table` class to represent the index you want to work with.
1. Call the `describe` method on the `Table` object.
The following Java code example demonstrates the preceding steps.
**Example**
```
AmazonDynamoDB client = AmazonDynamoDBClientBuilder.standard().build();
DynamoDB dynamoDB = new DynamoDB(client);
Table table = dynamoDB.getTable("WeatherData");
TableDescription tableDesc = table.describe();
Iterator gsiIter = tableDesc.getGlobalSecondaryIndexes().iterator();
while (gsiIter.hasNext()) {
GlobalSecondaryIndexDescription gsiDesc = gsiIter.next();
System.out.println("Info for index "
+ gsiDesc.getIndexName() + ":");
Iterator kseIter = gsiDesc.getKeySchema().iterator();
while (kseIter.hasNext()) {
KeySchemaElement kse = kseIter.next();
System.out.printf("\t%s: %s\n", kse.getAttributeName(), kse.getKeyType());
}
Projection projection = gsiDesc.getProjection();
System.out.println("\tThe projection type is: "
+ projection.getProjectionType());
if (projection.getProjectionType().toString().equals("INCLUDE")) {
System.out.println("\t\tThe non-key projected attributes are: "
+ projection.getNonKeyAttributes());
}
}
```
## Query a Global Secondary Index
You can use `Query` on a global secondary index, in much the same way you `Query` a table. You need to specify the index name, the query criteria for the index partition key and sort key (if present), and the attributes that you want to return. In this example, the index is `PrecipIndex`, which has a partition key of `Date` and a sort key of `Precipitation`. The index query returns all of the weather data for a particular date, where the precipitation is greater than zero.
The following are the steps to query a global secondary index using the AWS SDK for Java Document API.
1. Create an instance of the `DynamoDB` class.
1. Create an instance of the `Table` class to represent the index you want to work with.
1. Create an instance of the `Index` class for the index you want to query.
1. Call the `query` method on the `Index` object.
The attribute name `Date` is a DynamoDB reserved word. Therefore, you must use an expression attribute name as a placeholder in the `KeyConditionExpression`.
The following Java code example demonstrates the preceding steps.
**Example**
```
AmazonDynamoDB client = AmazonDynamoDBClientBuilder.standard().build();
DynamoDB dynamoDB = new DynamoDB(client);
Table table = dynamoDB.getTable("WeatherData");
Index index = table.getIndex("PrecipIndex");
QuerySpec spec = new QuerySpec()
.withKeyConditionExpression("#d = :v_date and Precipitation = :v_precip")
.withNameMap(new NameMap()
.with("#d", "Date"))
.withValueMap(new ValueMap()
.withString(":v_date","2013-08-10")
.withNumber(":v_precip",0));
ItemCollection items = index.query(spec);
Iterator- iter = items.iterator();
while (iter.hasNext()) {
System.out.println(iter.next().toJSONPretty());
}
```
# Example: Global Secondary Indexes using the AWS SDK for Java document API
The following Java code example shows how to work with global secondary indexes. The example creates a table named `Issues`, which might be used in a simple bug tracking system for software development. The partition key is `IssueId` and the sort key is `Title`. There are three global secondary indexes on this table:
+ `CreateDateIndex` — The partition key is `CreateDate` and the sort key is `IssueId`. In addition to the table keys, the attributes `Description` and `Status` are projected into the index.
+ `TitleIndex` — The partition key is `Title` and the sort key is `IssueId`. No attributes other than the table keys are projected into the index.
+ `DueDateIndex` — The partition key is `DueDate`, and there is no sort key. All of the table attributes are projected into the index.
After the `Issues` table is created, the program loads the table with data representing software bug reports. It then queries the data using the global secondary indexes. Finally, the program deletes the `Issues` table.
For step-by-step instructions for testing the following example, see [Java code examples](CodeSamples.Java.md).
**Example**
```
package com.amazonaws.codesamples.document;
import java.util.ArrayList;
import java.util.Iterator;
import com.amazonaws.services.dynamodbv2.AmazonDynamoDB;
import com.amazonaws.services.dynamodbv2.AmazonDynamoDBClientBuilder;
import com.amazonaws.services.dynamodbv2.document.DynamoDB;
import com.amazonaws.services.dynamodbv2.document.Index;
import com.amazonaws.services.dynamodbv2.document.Item;
import com.amazonaws.services.dynamodbv2.document.ItemCollection;
import com.amazonaws.services.dynamodbv2.document.QueryOutcome;
import com.amazonaws.services.dynamodbv2.document.Table;
import com.amazonaws.services.dynamodbv2.document.spec.QuerySpec;
import com.amazonaws.services.dynamodbv2.document.utils.ValueMap;
import com.amazonaws.services.dynamodbv2.model.AttributeDefinition;
import com.amazonaws.services.dynamodbv2.model.CreateTableRequest;
import com.amazonaws.services.dynamodbv2.model.GlobalSecondaryIndex;
import com.amazonaws.services.dynamodbv2.model.KeySchemaElement;
import com.amazonaws.services.dynamodbv2.model.KeyType;
import com.amazonaws.services.dynamodbv2.model.Projection;
import com.amazonaws.services.dynamodbv2.model.ProvisionedThroughput;
public class DocumentAPIGlobalSecondaryIndexExample {
static AmazonDynamoDB client = AmazonDynamoDBClientBuilder.standard().build();
static DynamoDB dynamoDB = new DynamoDB(client);
public static String tableName = "Issues";
public static void main(String[] args) throws Exception {
createTable();
loadData();
queryIndex("CreateDateIndex");
queryIndex("TitleIndex");
queryIndex("DueDateIndex");
deleteTable(tableName);
}
public static void createTable() {
// Attribute definitions
ArrayList attributeDefinitions = new ArrayList();
attributeDefinitions.add(new AttributeDefinition().withAttributeName("IssueId").withAttributeType("S"));
attributeDefinitions.add(new AttributeDefinition().withAttributeName("Title").withAttributeType("S"));
attributeDefinitions.add(new AttributeDefinition().withAttributeName("CreateDate").withAttributeType("S"));
attributeDefinitions.add(new AttributeDefinition().withAttributeName("DueDate").withAttributeType("S"));
// Key schema for table
ArrayList tableKeySchema = new ArrayList();
tableKeySchema.add(new KeySchemaElement().withAttributeName("IssueId").withKeyType(KeyType.HASH)); // Partition
// key
tableKeySchema.add(new KeySchemaElement().withAttributeName("Title").withKeyType(KeyType.RANGE)); // Sort
// key
// Initial provisioned throughput settings for the indexes
ProvisionedThroughput ptIndex = new ProvisionedThroughput().withReadCapacityUnits(1L)
.withWriteCapacityUnits(1L);
// CreateDateIndex
GlobalSecondaryIndex createDateIndex = new GlobalSecondaryIndex().withIndexName("CreateDateIndex")
.withProvisionedThroughput(ptIndex)
.withKeySchema(new KeySchemaElement().withAttributeName("CreateDate").withKeyType(KeyType.HASH), // Partition
// key
new KeySchemaElement().withAttributeName("IssueId").withKeyType(KeyType.RANGE)) // Sort
// key
.withProjection(
new Projection().withProjectionType("INCLUDE").withNonKeyAttributes("Description", "Status"));
// TitleIndex
GlobalSecondaryIndex titleIndex = new GlobalSecondaryIndex().withIndexName("TitleIndex")
.withProvisionedThroughput(ptIndex)
.withKeySchema(new KeySchemaElement().withAttributeName("Title").withKeyType(KeyType.HASH), // Partition
// key
new KeySchemaElement().withAttributeName("IssueId").withKeyType(KeyType.RANGE)) // Sort
// key
.withProjection(new Projection().withProjectionType("KEYS_ONLY"));
// DueDateIndex
GlobalSecondaryIndex dueDateIndex = new GlobalSecondaryIndex().withIndexName("DueDateIndex")
.withProvisionedThroughput(ptIndex)
.withKeySchema(new KeySchemaElement().withAttributeName("DueDate").withKeyType(KeyType.HASH)) // Partition
// key
.withProjection(new Projection().withProjectionType("ALL"));
CreateTableRequest createTableRequest = new CreateTableRequest().withTableName(tableName)
.withProvisionedThroughput(
new ProvisionedThroughput().withReadCapacityUnits((long) 1).withWriteCapacityUnits((long) 1))
.withAttributeDefinitions(attributeDefinitions).withKeySchema(tableKeySchema)
.withGlobalSecondaryIndexes(createDateIndex, titleIndex, dueDateIndex);
System.out.println("Creating table " + tableName + "...");
dynamoDB.createTable(createTableRequest);
// Wait for table to become active
System.out.println("Waiting for " + tableName + " to become ACTIVE...");
try {
Table table = dynamoDB.getTable(tableName);
table.waitForActive();
} catch (InterruptedException e) {
e.printStackTrace();
}
}
public static void queryIndex(String indexName) {
Table table = dynamoDB.getTable(tableName);
System.out.println("\n***********************************************************\n");
System.out.print("Querying index " + indexName + "...");
Index index = table.getIndex(indexName);
ItemCollection items = null;
QuerySpec querySpec = new QuerySpec();
if (indexName == "CreateDateIndex") {
System.out.println("Issues filed on 2013-11-01");
querySpec.withKeyConditionExpression("CreateDate = :v_date and begins_with(IssueId, :v_issue)")
.withValueMap(new ValueMap().withString(":v_date", "2013-11-01").withString(":v_issue", "A-"));
items = index.query(querySpec);
} else if (indexName == "TitleIndex") {
System.out.println("Compilation errors");
querySpec.withKeyConditionExpression("Title = :v_title and begins_with(IssueId, :v_issue)")
.withValueMap(
new ValueMap().withString(":v_title", "Compilation error").withString(":v_issue", "A-"));
items = index.query(querySpec);
} else if (indexName == "DueDateIndex") {
System.out.println("Items that are due on 2013-11-30");
querySpec.withKeyConditionExpression("DueDate = :v_date")
.withValueMap(new ValueMap().withString(":v_date", "2013-11-30"));
items = index.query(querySpec);
} else {
System.out.println("\nNo valid index name provided");
return;
}
Iterator
- iterator = items.iterator();
System.out.println("Query: printing results...");
while (iterator.hasNext()) {
System.out.println(iterator.next().toJSONPretty());
}
}
public static void deleteTable(String tableName) {
System.out.println("Deleting table " + tableName + "...");
Table table = dynamoDB.getTable(tableName);
table.delete();
// Wait for table to be deleted
System.out.println("Waiting for " + tableName + " to be deleted...");
try {
table.waitForDelete();
} catch (InterruptedException e) {
e.printStackTrace();
}
}
public static void loadData() {
System.out.println("Loading data into table " + tableName + "...");
// IssueId, Title,
// Description,
// CreateDate, LastUpdateDate, DueDate,
// Priority, Status
putItem("A-101", "Compilation error", "Can't compile Project X - bad version number. What does this mean?",
"2013-11-01", "2013-11-02", "2013-11-10", 1, "Assigned");
putItem("A-102", "Can't read data file", "The main data file is missing, or the permissions are incorrect",
"2013-11-01", "2013-11-04", "2013-11-30", 2, "In progress");
putItem("A-103", "Test failure", "Functional test of Project X produces errors", "2013-11-01", "2013-11-02",
"2013-11-10", 1, "In progress");
putItem("A-104", "Compilation error", "Variable 'messageCount' was not initialized.", "2013-11-15",
"2013-11-16", "2013-11-30", 3, "Assigned");
putItem("A-105", "Network issue", "Can't ping IP address 127.0.0.1. Please fix this.", "2013-11-15",
"2013-11-16", "2013-11-19", 5, "Assigned");
}
public static void putItem(
String issueId, String title, String description, String createDate, String lastUpdateDate, String dueDate,
Integer priority, String status) {
Table table = dynamoDB.getTable(tableName);
Item item = new Item().withPrimaryKey("IssueId", issueId).withString("Title", title)
.withString("Description", description).withString("CreateDate", createDate)
.withString("LastUpdateDate", lastUpdateDate).withString("DueDate", dueDate)
.withNumber("Priority", priority).withString("Status", status);
table.putItem(item);
}
}
```