Do Before Update

Last updated 1/04/2026

Overview

The Do Before Update event is a server-side that executes just before an updated record is committed to the database. It runs during the update operation, giving you the opportunity to inspect, validate, or modify the data before the changes are saved.

This event provides access to two objects on the

context

parameter:

• old
  - the existing record currently stored in the database
• new
  - the updated version of the record that is about to be saved

By comparing these two objects, you can control how updates are applied and enforce rules before the database is modified.

How it Works

When an existing record is updated:

1. The Do Before Update event executes on the server.
2. The
   old
   object contains the current values stored in the database.
3. The
   new
   object contains the updated values submitted for the record.
4. The record has not yet been committed to the database.
5. You can compare the
   old
   and
   new
   to detect changes.
6. Any changes made to the
   new
   object will be saved as part of the update.
7. Returning an error will prevent the update from being committed.

Use Cases

• Validate changes before updating a record
• Prevent certain fields from being modified
• Enforce business rules based on changes between new and old values
• Automatically update audit fields such as modified timestamp or user IDs
• Trigger logic only when specific fields have changed

Example

This function runs before updating a customer record, compares the existing and updated values, checks if the email has changed and already exists in another record, prevents duplicate email by creating an error, and sets an updated timestamp on the record before the changes are committed.

Validate email uniqueness on update and set modified timestamp

function doBeforeUpdate(five, context, result) {
    // The 'old' object is the record currently in the DB
    const oldRecord = context.old;
    // The 'new' object is the updated record that will be saved
    const newRecord = context.new;

    // If the email has changed, check for duplicates in other records
    if (oldRecord.Email !== newRecord.Email) {
        const query = `
            SELECT COUNT(*) AS count
            FROM Customers
            WHERE Email = ? AND CustomerID != ?
        `;

        // Execute the query with the new email and exclude the current customer by ID
        const queryResult = five.executeQuery(
            query,
            0,
            newRecord.Email,
            oldRecord.CustomerID
        );

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

    // Update the modified timestamp (ensure the field exists in your table)
    newRecord.UpdatedAt = five.now();

    return five.success();
}