# Statamic Eloquent Driver > Provides support for storing your Statamic data in a database, rather than flat files. ## Installation & Usage You can install and configure the Eloquent Driver using a single command: ``` php please install:eloquent-driver ``` The command will install the `statamic/eloquent-driver` package, publish the config file, then prompt you to select which repositories you wish to move to the database. The command will then publish the relevant migrations and run `php artisan migrate` behind the scenes. The command will also give you the opportunity to indicate whether you'd like existing data to be imported. ### Importing flat-file content If you originally opt-out of importing existing content, then later change your mind, you can import existing content by running the relevant commands: - Assets: `php please eloquent:import-assets` - Blueprints and Fieldsets: `php please eloquent:import-blueprints` - Collections: `php please eloquent:import-collections` - Entries: `php please eloquent:import-entries` - Forms: `php please eloquent:import-forms` - Globals: `php please eloquent:import-globals` - Navs: `php please eloquent:import-navs` - Revisions: `php please eloquent:import-revisions` - Taxonomies: `php please eloquent:import-taxonomies` - Sites: `php please eloquent:import-sites` ### Assets #### Syncing If your assets are being driven by the Eloquent Driver and you're managing your assets outside of Statamic (eg. directly in the filesystem), you should run the `php please eloquent:sync-assets` command to add any missing files to the database, and remove files that no longer exist on the filesystem. ### Exporting to flat files If you wish to move back to flat-files, you may use the following commands to export your content out of the database: - Assets: `php please eloquent:export-assets` - Blueprints and Fieldsets: `php please eloquent:export-blueprints` - Collections: `php please eloquent:export-collections` - Entries: `php please eloquent:export-entries` - Forms: `php please eloquent:export-forms` - Globals: `php please eloquent:export-globals` - Navs: `php please eloquent:export-navs` - Revisions: `php please eloquent:export-revisions` - Taxonomies: `php please eloquent:export-taxonomies` - Sites: `php please eloquent:export-sites` ## Configuration The configuration file, found in `config/statamic/eloquent-driver.php` is automatically published when you install the Eloquent Driver. For each of the repositories, it allows you to determine if they should be driven by flat-files (`file`) or Eloquent (`eloquent`). Some repositories also have additional options, like the ability to override the model used. ### Using dedicated columns for data > Note: This feature is currently only available for Entries. By default, the Eloquent Driver stores all data in a single `data` column. However, it is possible to store fields in their own columns. 1. First, you'll need to enable the `map_data_to_columns` option in the `entries` section of the configuration file: ```php // config/statamic/eloquent-driver.php 'entries' => [ 'driver' => 'file', 'model' => \Statamic\Eloquent\Entries\EntryModel::class, 'entry' => \Statamic\Eloquent\Entries\Entry::class, 'map_data_to_columns' => false, ], ``` 2. Create a new migration to add the columns to the `entries` table: ```bash php artisan make:migration add_columns_to_entries_table ``` ```php public function up() { Schema::create('entries', function (Blueprint $table) { $table->string('description')->nullable(); $table->json('featured_images')->nullable(); }); } ``` You should ensure that the column names match the field handles in your blueprints. You should also ensure the column type matches that of the fieldtype. As a general rule of thumb, here are some common mappings: * Text fields should be stored as `string` columns. * Relationship fields should be stored as `json` columns. (Unless `max_items` is set to `1`, in which case it should be stored as a `string` column.) * Number fields should be stored as `integer` or `decimal` columns. 3. Run the migration: ```bash php artisan migrate ``` 4. If you're adding a column that [requires an Eloquent cast](https://laravel.com/docs/master/eloquent-mutators#attribute-casting) (eg. a `json` or `integer` column), you will need to provide your own `Entry` model in order to set the appropriate casts. You can do this by creating a new model which extends the default `Entry` model: ```php 'datetime', 'data' => 'json', 'published' => 'boolean', // Your custom casts... 'featured_images' => 'json', ]; } ``` If you're using UUIDs as your entry IDs (which is the default if you imported existing entries into the database), you should extend the `Statamic\Eloquent\Entries\UuidEntryModel` class instead: ```php class Entry extends \Statamic\Eloquent\Entries\UuidEntryModel ``` Once created, you will need to update the model in the `entries` section of the configuration file: ```diff - 'model' => \Statamic\Eloquent\Entries\EntryModel::class, + 'model' => \App\Models\Entry::class, ``` 5. If you have existing entries, you will need to re-save them to populate the new columns. You can do this by pasting the following snippet into `php artisan tinker`: ```php \Statamic\Facades\Entry::all()->each->save(); ``` 6. And that's it! Statamic will now read and write data to the new columns in the `entries` table, rather than the `data` column. ### Selecting specific blueprint types for Eloquent By default, setting the driver for blueprints to `eloquent` will apply to *all* blueprints. However, if you only wish to move certain groups of blueprint over, you can do so by setting an array of namespaces, such as: ```php // config/statamic/eloquent-driver.php 'blueprints' => [ 'driver' => 'eloquent', 'model' => \Statamic\Eloquent\Fields\BlueprintModel::class, 'namespaces' => ['forms', 'navigation'], ], ``` The above example will set all forms and navigation blueprints to use eloquent, while keeping the rest as files. ## Upgrading After updating to a new version of the Eloquent Driver, please ensure you run `php artisan migrate` to update your database to the latest schema. ## Questions ### Can I store users in the database too? By default, Statamic users live in the `users` directory of your project. If you wish to move them to the database, please [follow this guide](https://statamic.dev/tips/storing-users-in-a-database). ### Can I store some collections in the database, while keeping others in flat-files? This driver **does not** make it possible to have some collections flat-file driven and others Eloquent driven. If you're looking for that, you may want to checkout the [Runway](https://statamic.com/addons/rad-pack/runway) addon, which is part of The Rad Pack.