Do Before Insert

Last updated 31/03/2026

Overview

The Do Before Insert event is a server-side event that executes just before a new record is committed to the database. It runs during the insert operation, giving you the opportunity to inspect or modify the data before it is saved. This event provides access to a

new

object on the

context

parameter, which contains the record being inserted with the

databaseKey

and the

tableKey

where the record will be inserted.

How it Works

When a new record is created:

1. The Do Before Insert event executes on the server.
2. The
   new
   object contains all field values for the record being inserted.
3. The record has not yet been committed to the database.
4. Any changes made to the
   new
   object will be saved as part of the insert.

Use Cases

• Validate and enforce business rules before saving a new record
• Modify or set default values before the record is saved
• Prevent invalid or incomplete data from being inserted
• Automatically populate fields such as timestamps, statuses, or calculated fields

Example

This function runs before inserting a new customer record, checks if the email already exists using

executeQuery()

, prevents duplicates by creating an error, and sets a creation timestamp.

Check if email already exists for a customer

function doBeforeInsert(five, context, result) {
    // The 'new' object contains the record being inserted
    const newRecord = context.new;

    // Example: Check if the customer email already exists in the database
    const query = `
        SELECT COUNT(*) AS count
        FROM Customers
        WHERE Email = ?
    `;

    // Execute the query using executeQuery() with the email from the new record
    const result = five.executeQuery(query, 0, newRecord.Email);

    // If the email already exists, prevent the insert
    if (result.recordCount() > 0) {
        return five.createError(`The email "${newRecord.Email}" is already registered.`);
    }

    // Optionally, you can modify the record before insert
    newRecord.CreatedAt = five.now(); // Automatically set the creation timestamp
    return five.success();
}