Rules for working with Ash

Understanding Ash

Ash is an opinionated, composable framework for building applications in Elixir. It provides a declarative approach to modeling your domain with resources at the center. Read documentation before attempting to use its features. Do not assume that you have prior knowledge of the framework or its conventions.

Code Structure & Organization

• Organize code around domains and resources
• Each resource should be focused and well-named
• Create domain-specific actions rather than generic CRUD operations
• Put business logic inside actions rather than in external modules
• Use resources to model your domain entities

Code Interfaces

Use code interfaces on domains to define the contract for calling into Ash resources. See the Code interface guide for more.

Define code interfaces on the domain, like this:

resource ResourceName do
  define :fun_name, action: :action_name
end

For more complex interfaces with custom transformations:

define :custom_action do
  action :action_name
  args [:arg1, :arg2]

  custom_input :arg1, MyType do
    transform do
      to :target_field
      using &MyModule.transform_function/1
    end
  end
end

Prefer using the primary read action for "get" style code interfaces, and using get_by when the field you are looking up by is the primary key or has an identity on the resource.

resource ResourceName do
  define :get_thing, action: :read, get_by: [:id]
end

Avoid direct Ash calls in web modules - Don't use Ash.get!/2 and Ash.load!/2 directly in LiveViews/Controllers, similar to avoiding Repo.get/2 outside context modules:

You can also pass additional inputs in to code interfaces before the options:

resource ResourceName do
  define :create, action: :action_name, args: [:field1]
end

Domain.create!(field1_value, %{field2: field2_value}, actor: current_user)

You should generally prefer using this map of extra inputs over defining optional arguments.

# BAD - in LiveView/Controller
group = MyApp.Resource |> Ash.get!(id) |> Ash.load!(rel: [:nested])

# GOOD - use code interface with get_by
resource DashboardGroup do
  define :get_dashboard_group_by_id, action: :read, get_by: [:id]
end

# Then call:
MyApp.Domain.get_dashboard_group_by_id!(id, load: [rel: [:nested]])

Code interface options - Prefer passing options directly to code interface functions rather than building queries manually:

# PREFERRED - Use the query option for filter, sort, limit, etc.
# the query option is passed to `Ash.Query.build/2`
posts = MyApp.Blog.list_posts!(
  query: [
    filter: [status: :published],
    sort: [published_at: :desc],
    limit: 10
  ],
  load: [author: :profile, comments: [:author]]
)

# All query-related options go in the query parameter
users = MyApp.Accounts.list_users!(
  query: [filter: [active: true], sort: [created_at: :desc]],
  load: [:profile]
)

# AVOID - Verbose manual query building
query = MyApp.Post |> Ash.Query.filter(...) |> Ash.Query.load(...)
posts = Ash.read!(query)

Supported options: load:, query: (which accepts filter:, sort:, limit:, offset:, etc.), page:, stream?:

Using Scopes in LiveViews - When using Ash.Scope, the scope will typically be assigned to scope in LiveViews and used like so:

# In your LiveView
MyApp.Blog.create_post!("new post", scope: socket.assigns.scope)

Inside action hooks and callbacks, use the provided context parameter as your scope instead:

|> Ash.Changeset.before_transaction(fn changeset, context ->
  MyApp.ExternalService.reserve_inventory(changeset, scope: context)
  changeset
end)

Authorization Functions

For each action defined in a code interface, Ash automatically generates corresponding authorization check functions:

• can_action_name?(actor, params \\ %{}, opts \\ []) - Returns true/false for authorization checks
• can_action_name(actor, params \\ %{}, opts \\ []) - Returns {:ok, true/false} or {:error, reason}

Example usage:

# Check if user can create a post
if MyApp.Blog.can_create_post?(current_user) do
  # Show create button
end

# Check if user can update a specific post
if MyApp.Blog.can_update_post?(current_user, post) do
  # Show edit button
end

# Check if user can destroy a specific comment
if MyApp.Blog.can_destroy_comment?(current_user, comment) do
  # Show delete button
end

These functions are particularly useful for conditional rendering of UI elements based on user permissions.

Actions

• Create specific, well-named actions rather than generic ones
• Put all business logic inside action definitions
• Use hooks like Ash.Changeset.after_action/2, Ash.Changeset.before_action/2 to add additional logic inside the same transaction.
• Use hooks like Ash.Changeset.after_transaction/2, Ash.Changeset.before_transaction/2 to add additional logic outside the transaction.
• Use action arguments for inputs that need validation
• Use preparations to modify queries before execution
• Preparations support where clauses for conditional execution
• Use only_when_valid? to skip preparations when the query is invalid
• Use changes to modify changesets before execution
• Use validations to validate changesets before execution
• Prefer domain code interfaces to call actions instead of directly building queries/changesets and calling functions in the Ash module
• A resource could be only generic actions. This can be useful when you are using a resource only to model behavior.

Querying Data

Use Ash.Query to build queries for reading data from your resources. The query module provides a declarative way to filter, sort, and load data.

Ash.Query.filter is a macro

Important: You must require Ash.Query if you want to use Ash.Query.filter/2, as it is a macro.

If you see errors like the following:

Ash.Query.filter(MyResource, id == ^id)
error: misplaced operator ^id

The pin operator ^ is supported only inside matches or inside custom macros...

iex(3)> Ash.Query.filter(MyResource, something == true)
error: undefined variable "something"
└─ iex:3

You are very likely missing a require Ash.Query

Common Query Operations

• Filter: Ash.Query.filter(query, field == value)
• Sort: Ash.Query.sort(query, field: :asc)
• Load relationships: Ash.Query.load(query, [:author, :comments])
• Limit: Ash.Query.limit(query, 10)
• Offset: Ash.Query.offset(query, 20)

Error Handling

Functions to call actions, like Ash.create and code interfaces like MyApp.Accounts.register_user all return ok/error tuples. All have ! variations, like Ash.create! and MyApp.Accounts.register_user!. Use the ! variations when you want to "let it crash", like if looking something up that should definitely exist, or calling an action that should always succeed. Always prefer the raising ! variation over something like {:ok, user} = MyApp.Accounts.register_user(...).

All Ash code returns errors in the form of {:error, error_class}. Ash categorizes errors into four main classes:

1. Forbidden (Ash.Error.Forbidden) - Occurs when a user attempts an action they don't have permission to perform
2. Invalid (Ash.Error.Invalid) - Occurs when input data doesn't meet validation requirements
3. Framework (Ash.Error.Framework) - Occurs when there's an issue with how Ash is being used
4. Unknown (Ash.Error.Unknown) - Occurs for unexpected errors that don't fit the other categories

These error classes help you catch and handle errors at an appropriate level of granularity. An error class will always be the "worst" (highest in the above list) error class from above. Each error class can contain multiple underlying errors, accessible via the errors field on the exception.

Using Validations

Validations ensure that data meets your business requirements before it gets processed by an action. Unlike changes, validations cannot modify the changeset - they can only validate it or add errors.

Validations work on both changesets and queries. Built-in validations that support queries include:

• action_is, argument_does_not_equal, argument_equals, argument_in
• compare, confirm, match, negate, one_of, present, string_length
• Custom validations that implement the supports/1 callback

Common validation patterns:

# Built-in validations with custom messages
validate compare(:age, greater_than_or_equal_to: 18) do
  message "You must be at least 18 years old"
end
validate match(:email, "@")
validate one_of(:status, [:active, :inactive, :pending])

# Conditional validations with where clauses
validate present(:phone_number) do
  where present(:contact_method) and eq(:contact_method, "phone")
end

# only_when_valid? - skip validation if prior validations failed
validate expensive_validation() do
  only_when_valid? true
end

# Action-specific vs global validations
actions do
  create :sign_up do
    validate present([:email, :password])  # Only for this action
  end
  
  read :search do
    argument :email, :string
    validate match(:email, ~r/^[^\s]+@[^\s]+\.[^\s]+$/)  # Validates query arguments
  end
end

validations do
  validate present([:title, :body]), on: [:create, :update]  # Multiple actions
end

• Create custom validation modules for complex validation logic:

  defmodule MyApp.Validations.UniqueUsername do
    use Ash.Resource.Validation
  
    @impl true
    def init(opts), do: {:ok, opts}
  
    @impl true
    def validate(changeset, _opts, _context) do
      # Validation logic here
      # Return :ok or {:error, message}
    end
  end
  
  # Usage in resource:
  validate {MyApp.Validations.UniqueUsername, []}
  

• Make validations atomic when possible to ensure they work correctly with direct database operations by implementing the atomic/3 callback in custom validation modules.

Using Preparations

Preparations modify queries before they're executed. They are used to add filters, sorts, or other query modifications based on the query context.

Common preparation patterns:

# Built-in preparations
prepare build(sort: [created_at: :desc])
prepare build(filter: [active: true])

# Conditional preparations with where clauses
prepare build(filter: [visible: true]) do
  where argument_equals(:include_hidden, false)
end

# only_when_valid? - skip preparation if prior validations failed
prepare expensive_preparation() do
  only_when_valid? true
end

# Action-specific vs global preparations
actions do
  read :recent do
    prepare build(sort: [created_at: :desc], limit: 10)
  end
end

preparations do
  prepare build(filter: [deleted: false]), on: [:read, :update]
end

defmodule MyApp.Validations.IsEven do
  # transform and validate opts

  use Ash.Resource.Validation

  @impl true
  def init(opts) do
    if is_atom(opts[:attribute]) do
      {:ok, opts}
    else
      {:error, "attribute must be an atom!"}
    end
  end

  @impl true
  # This is optional, but useful to have in addition to validation
  # so you get early feedback for validations that can otherwise
  # only run in the datalayer
  def validate(changeset, opts, _context) do
    value = Ash.Changeset.get_attribute(changeset, opts[:attribute])

    if is_nil(value) || (is_number(value) && rem(value, 2) == 0) do
      :ok
    else
      {:error, field: opts[:attribute], message: "must be an even number"}
    end
  end

  @impl true
  def atomic(changeset, opts, context) do
    {:atomic,
      # the list of attributes that are involved in the validation
      [opts[:attribute]],
      # the condition that should cause the error
      # here we refer to the new value or the current value
      expr(rem(^atomic_ref(opts[:attribute]), 2) != 0),
      # the error expression
      expr(
        error(^InvalidAttribute, %{
          field: ^opts[:attribute],
          # the value that caused the error
          value: ^atomic_ref(opts[:attribute]),
          # the message to display
          message: ^(context.message || "%{field} must be an even number"),
          vars: %{field: ^opts[:attribute]}
        })
      )
    }
  end
end

• Avoid redundant validations - Don't add validations that duplicate attribute constraints:

  # WRONG - redundant validation
  attribute :name, :string do
    allow_nil? false
    constraints min_length: 1
  end
  
  validate present(:name) do  # Redundant! allow_nil? false already handles this
    message "Name is required"
  end
  
  validate attribute_does_not_equal(:name, "") do  # Redundant! min_length: 1 already handles this
    message "Name cannot be empty"
  end
  
  # CORRECT - let attribute constraints handle basic validation
  attribute :name, :string do
    allow_nil? false
    constraints min_length: 1
  end
  

Using Changes

Changes allow you to modify the changeset before it gets processed by an action. Unlike validations, changes can manipulate attribute values, add attributes, or perform other data transformations.

Common change patterns:

# Built-in changes with conditions
change set_attribute(:status, "pending")
change relate_actor(:creator) do
  where present(:actor)
end
change atomic_update(:counter, expr(^counter + 1))

# Action-specific vs global changes
actions do
  create :sign_up do
    change set_attribute(:joined_at, expr(now()))  # Only for this action
  end
end

changes do
  change set_attribute(:updated_at, expr(now())), on: :update  # Multiple actions
  change manage_relationship(:items, type: :append), on: [:create, :update]
end

• Create custom change modules for reusable transformation logic:

  defmodule MyApp.Changes.SlugifyTitle do
    use Ash.Resource.Change
  
    def change(changeset, _opts, _context) do
      title = Ash.Changeset.get_attribute(changeset, :title)
  
      if title do
        slug = title |> String.downcase() |> String.replace(~r/[^a-z0-9]+/, "-")
        Ash.Changeset.change_attribute(changeset, :slug, slug)
      else
        changeset
      end
    end
  end
  
  # Usage in resource:
  change {MyApp.Changes.SlugifyTitle, []}
  

• Create a change module with lifecycle hooks to handle complex multi-step operations:

defmodule MyApp.Changes.ProcessOrder do
  use Ash.Resource.Change

  def change(changeset, _opts, context) do
    changeset
    |> Ash.Changeset.before_transaction(fn changeset ->
      # Runs before the transaction starts
      # Use for external API calls, logging, etc.
      MyApp.ExternalService.reserve_inventory(changeset, scope: context)
      changeset
    end)
    |> Ash.Changeset.before_action(fn changeset ->
      # Runs inside the transaction before the main action
      # Use for related database changes in the same transaction
      Ash.Changeset.change_attribute(changeset, :processed_at, DateTime.utc_now())
    end)
    |> Ash.Changeset.after_action(fn changeset, result ->
      # Runs inside the transaction after the main action, only on success
      # Use for related database changes that depend on the result
      MyApp.Inventory.update_stock_levels(result, scope: context)
      {changeset, result}
    end)
    |> Ash.Changeset.after_transaction(fn changeset,
      {:ok, result} ->
        # Runs after the transaction completes (success or failure)
        # Use for notifications, external systems, etc.
        MyApp.Mailer.send_order_confirmation(result, scope: context)
        {changeset, result}

      {:error, error} ->
        # Runs after the transaction completes (success or failure)
        # Use for notifications, external systems, etc.
        MyApp.Mailer.send_order_issue_notice(result, scope: context)
        {:error, error}
    end)
  end
end

# Usage in resource:
change {MyApp.Changes.ProcessOrder, []}

Custom Modules vs. Anonymous Functions

Prefer to put code in its own module and refer to that in changes, preparations, validations etc.

For example, prefer this:

defmodule MyApp.MyDomain.MyResource.Changes.SlugifyName do
  use Ash.Resource.Change

  def change(changeset, _, _) do
    Ash.Changeset.before_action(changeset, fn changeset, _ ->
      slug = MyApp.Slug.get()
      Ash.Changeset.force_change_attribute(changeset, :slug, slug)
    end)
  end
end

change MyApp.MyDomain.MyResource.Changes.SlugifyName

Action Types

• Read: For retrieving records
• Create: For creating records
• Update: For changing records
• Destroy: For removing records
• Generic: For custom operations that don't fit the other types

Relationships

Relationships describe connections between resources and are a core component of Ash. Define relationships in the relationships block of a resource.

Best Practices for Relationships

• Be descriptive with relationship names (e.g., use :authored_posts instead of just :posts)
• Configure foreign key constraints in your data layer if they have them (see references in AshPostgres)
• Always choose the appropriate relationship type based on your domain model

Relationship Types

• For Polymorphic relationships, you can model them using Ash.Type.Union; see the “Polymorphic Relationships” guide for more information.

relationships do
  # belongs_to - adds foreign key to source resource
  belongs_to :owner, MyApp.User do
    allow_nil? false
    attribute_type :integer  # defaults to :uuid
  end

  # has_one - foreign key on destination resource
  has_one :profile, MyApp.Profile

  # has_many - foreign key on destination resource, returns list
  has_many :posts, MyApp.Post do
    filter expr(published == true)
    sort published_at: :desc
  end

  # many_to_many - requires join resource
  many_to_many :tags, MyApp.Tag do
    through MyApp.PostTag
    source_attribute_on_join_resource :post_id
    destination_attribute_on_join_resource :tag_id
  end
end

The join resource must be defined separately:

defmodule MyApp.PostTag do
  use Ash.Resource,
    data_layer: AshPostgres.DataLayer

  attributes do
    uuid_primary_key :id
    # Add additional attributes if you need metadata on the relationship
    attribute :added_at, :utc_datetime_usec do
      default &DateTime.utc_now/0
    end
  end

  relationships do
    belongs_to :post, MyApp.Post, primary_key?: true, allow_nil?: false
    belongs_to :tag, MyApp.Tag, primary_key?: true, allow_nil?: false
  end

  actions do
    defaults [:read, :destroy, create: :*, update: :*]
  end
end

Loading Relationships

# Using code interface options (preferred)
post = MyDomain.get_post!(id, load: [:author, comments: [:author]])

# Complex loading with filters
posts = MyDomain.list_posts!(
  query: [load: [comments: [filter: [is_approved: true], limit: 5]]]
)

# Manual query building (for complex cases)
MyApp.Post
|> Ash.Query.load(comments: MyApp.Comment |> Ash.Query.filter(is_approved == true))
|> Ash.read!()

# Loading on existing records
Ash.load!(post, :author)

Prefer to use the strict? option when loading to only load necessary fields on related data.

MyApp.Post
|> Ash.Query.load([comments: [:title]], strict?: true)

Managing Relationships

There are two primary ways to manage relationships in Ash:

1. Using change manage_relationship/2-3 in Actions

Use this when input comes from action arguments:

actions do
  update :update do
    # Define argument for the related data
    argument :comments, {:array, :map} do
      allow_nil? false
    end

    argument :new_tags, {:array, :map}

    # Link argument to relationship management
    change manage_relationship(:comments, type: :append)

    # For different argument and relationship names
    change manage_relationship(:new_tags, :tags, type: :append)
  end
end

2. Using Ash.Changeset.manage_relationship/3-4 in Custom Changes

Use this when building values programmatically:

defmodule MyApp.Changes.AssignTeamMembers do
  use Ash.Resource.Change

  def change(changeset, _opts, context) do
    members = determine_team_members(changeset, context.actor)

    Ash.Changeset.manage_relationship(
      changeset,
      :members,
      members,
      type: :append_and_remove
    )
  end
end

Quick Reference - Management Types

• :append - Add new related records, ignore existing
• :append_and_remove - Add new related records, remove missing
• :remove - Remove specified related records
• :direct_control - Full CRUD control (create/update/destroy)
• :create - Only create new records

Quick Reference - Common Options

• on_lookup: :relate - Look up and relate existing records
• on_no_match: :create - Create if no match found
• on_match: :update - Update existing matches
• on_missing: :destroy - Delete records not in input
• value_is_key: :name - Use field as key for simple values

For comprehensive documentation, see the Managing Relationships section.

Examples

Creating a post with tags:

MyDomain.create_post!(%{
  title: "New Post",
  body: "Content here...",
  tags: [%{name: "elixir"}, %{name: "ash"}]  # Creates new tags
})

# Updating a post to replace its tags
MyDomain.update_post!(post, %{
  tags: [tag1.id, tag2.id]  # Replaces tags with existing ones by ID
})

Generating Code

Use mix ash.gen.* tasks as a basis for code generation when possible. Check the task docs with mix help <task>. Be sure to use --yes to bypass confirmation prompts. Use --yes --dry-run to preview the changes.

Data Layers

Data layers determine how resources are stored and retrieved. Examples of data layers:

• Postgres: For storing resources in PostgreSQL (via AshPostgres)
• ETS: For in-memory storage (Ash.DataLayer.Ets)
• Mnesia: For distributed storage (Ash.DataLayer.Mnesia)
• Embedded: For resources embedded in other resources (data_layer: :embedded) (typically JSON under the hood)
• Ash.DataLayer.Simple: For resources that aren't persisted at all. Leave off the data layer, as this is the default.

Specify a data layer when defining a resource:

defmodule MyApp.Post do
  use Ash.Resource,
    domain: MyApp.Blog,
    data_layer: AshPostgres.DataLayer

  postgres do
    table "posts"
    repo MyApp.Repo
  end

  # ... attributes, relationships, etc.
end

For embedded resources:

defmodule MyApp.Address do
  use Ash.Resource,
    data_layer: :embedded

  attributes do
    attribute :street, :string
    attribute :city, :string
    attribute :state, :string
    attribute :zip, :string
  end
end

Each data layer has its own configuration options and capabilities. Refer to the rules & documentation of the specific data layer package for more details.

Migrations and Schema Changes

After creating or modifying Ash code, run mix ash.codegen <short_name_describing_changes> to ensure any required additional changes are made (like migrations are generated). The name of the migration should be lower_snake_case. In a longer running dev session it's usually better to use mix ash.codegen --dev as you go and at the end run the final codegen with a sensible name describing all the changes made in the session.

Authorization

• When performing administrative actions, you can bypass authorization with authorize?: false
• To run actions as a particular user, look that user up and pass it as the actor option
• Always set the actor on the query/changeset/input, not when calling the action
• Use policies to define authorization rules

# Good
Post
|> Ash.Query.for_read(:read, %{}, actor: current_user)
|> Ash.read!()

# BAD, DO NOT DO THIS
Post
|> Ash.Query.for_read(:read, %{})
|> Ash.read!(actor: current_user)

Policies

To use policies, add the Ash.Policy.Authorizer to your resource:

defmodule MyApp.Post do
  use Ash.Resource,
    domain: MyApp.Blog,
    authorizers: [Ash.Policy.Authorizer]

  # Rest of resource definition...
end

Policy Basics

Policies determine what actions on a resource are permitted for a given actor. Define policies in the policies block:

policies do
  # A simple policy that applies to all read actions
  policy action_type(:read) do
    # Authorize if record is public
    authorize_if expr(public == true)

    # Authorize if actor is the owner
    authorize_if relates_to_actor_via(:owner)
  end

  # A policy for create actions
  policy action_type(:create) do
    # Only allow active users to create records
    forbid_unless actor_attribute_equals(:active, true)

    # Ensure the record being created relates to the actor
    authorize_if relating_to_actor(:owner)
  end
end

Policy Evaluation Flow

Policies evaluate from top to bottom with the following logic:

1. All policies that apply to an action must pass for the action to be allowed
2. Within each policy, checks evaluate from top to bottom
3. The first check that produces a decision determines the policy result
4. If no check produces a decision, the policy defaults to forbidden

IMPORTANT: Policy Check Logic

the first check that yields a result determines the policy outcome

# WRONG - This is OR logic, not AND logic!
policy action_type(:update) do
  authorize_if actor_attribute_equals(:admin?, true)    # If this passes, policy passes
  authorize_if relates_to_actor_via(:owner)           # Only checked if first fails
end

To require BOTH conditions in that example, you would use forbid_unless for the first condition:

# CORRECT - This requires BOTH conditions
policy action_type(:update) do
  forbid_unless actor_attribute_equals(:admin?, true)  # Must be admin
  authorize_if relates_to_actor_via(:owner)           # AND must be owner
end

Alternative patterns for AND logic:

• Use multiple separate policies (each must pass independently)
• Use a single complex expression with expr(condition1 and condition2)
• Use forbid_unless for required conditions, then authorize_if for the final check

Bypass Policies

Use bypass policies to allow certain actors to bypass other policy restrictions. This should be used almost exclusively for admin bypasses.

policies do
  # Bypass policy for admins - if this passes, other policies don't need to pass
  bypass actor_attribute_equals(:admin, true) do
    authorize_if always()
  end

  # Regular policies follow...
  policy action_type(:read) do
    # ...
  end
end

Field Policies

Field policies control access to specific fields (attributes, calculations, aggregates):

field_policies do
  # Only supervisors can see the salary field
  field_policy :salary do
    authorize_if actor_attribute_equals(:role, :supervisor)
  end

  # Allow access to all other fields
  field_policy :* do
    authorize_if always()
  end
end

Policy Checks

There are two main types of checks used in policies:

1. Simple checks - Return true/false answers (e.g., "is the actor an admin?")
2. Filter checks - Return filters to apply to data (e.g., "only show records owned by the actor")

You can use built-in checks or create custom ones:

# Built-in checks
authorize_if actor_attribute_equals(:role, :admin)
authorize_if relates_to_actor_via(:owner)
authorize_if expr(public == true)

# Custom check module
authorize_if MyApp.Checks.ActorHasPermission

Custom Policy Checks

Create custom checks by implementing Ash.Policy.SimpleCheck or Ash.Policy.FilterCheck:

# Simple check - returns true/false
defmodule MyApp.Checks.ActorHasRole do
  use Ash.Policy.SimpleCheck

  def match?(%{role: actor_role}, _context, opts) do
    actor_role == (opts[:role] || :admin)
  end
  def match?(_, _, _), do: false
end

# Filter check - returns query filter
defmodule MyApp.Checks.VisibleToUserLevel do
  use Ash.Policy.FilterCheck

  def filter(actor, _authorizer, _opts) do
    expr(visibility_level <= ^actor.user_level)
  end
end

# Usage
policy action_type(:read) do
  authorize_if {MyApp.Checks.ActorHasRole, role: :manager}
  authorize_if MyApp.Checks.VisibleToUserLevel
end

Calculations

Calculations allow you to define derived values based on a resource's attributes or related data. Define calculations in the calculations block of a resource:

calculations do
  # Simple expression calculation
  calculate :full_name, :string, expr(first_name <> " " <> last_name)

  # Expression with conditions
  calculate :status_label, :string, expr(
    cond do
      status == :active -> "Active"
      status == :pending -> "Pending Review"
      true -> "Inactive"
    end
  )

  # Using module calculations for more complex logic
  calculate :risk_score, :integer, {MyApp.Calculations.RiskScore, min: 0, max: 100}
end

Expression Calculations

Expression calculations use Ash expressions and can be pushed down to the data layer when possible:

calculations do
  # Simple string concatenation
  calculate :full_name, :string, expr(first_name <> " " <> last_name)

  # Math operations
  calculate :total_with_tax, :decimal, expr(amount * (1 + tax_rate))

  # Date manipulation
  calculate :days_since_created, :integer, expr(
    date_diff(^now(), inserted_at, :day)
  )
end

Expressions

In order to use expressions outside of resources, changes, preparations etc. you will need to use Ash.Expr.

It provides both expr/1 and template helpers like actor/1 and arg/1.

For example:

import Ash.Expr

Author
|> Ash.Query.aggregate(:count_of_my_favorited_posts, :count, [:posts], query: [
  filter: expr(favorited_by(user_id: ^actor(:id)))
])

See the expressions guide for more information on what is available in expresisons and how to use them.

Module Calculations

For complex calculations, create a module that implements Ash.Resource.Calculation:

defmodule MyApp.Calculations.FullName do
  use Ash.Resource.Calculation

  # Validate and transform options
  @impl true
  def init(opts) do
    {:ok, Map.put_new(opts, :separator, " ")}
  end

  # Specify what data needs to be loaded
  @impl true
  def load(_query, _opts, _context) do
    [:first_name, :last_name]
  end

  # Implement the calculation logic
  @impl true
  def calculate(records, opts, _context) do
    Enum.map(records, fn record ->
      [record.first_name, record.last_name]
      |> Enum.reject(&is_nil/1)
      |> Enum.join(opts.separator)
    end)
  end
end

# Usage in a resource
calculations do
  calculate :full_name, :string, {MyApp.Calculations.FullName, separator: ", "}
end

Calculations with Arguments

You can define calculations that accept arguments:

calculations do
  calculate :full_name, :string, expr(first_name <> ^arg(:separator) <> last_name) do
    argument :separator, :string do
      allow_nil? false
      default " "
      constraints [allow_empty?: true, trim?: false]
    end
  end
end

Using Calculations

# Using code interface options (preferred)
users = MyDomain.list_users!(load: [full_name: [separator: ", "]])

# Filtering and sorting
users = MyDomain.list_users!(
  query: [
    filter: [full_name: [separator: " ", value: "John Doe"]],
    sort: [full_name: {[separator: " "], :asc}]
  ]
)

# Manual query building (for complex cases)
User |> Ash.Query.load(full_name: [separator: ", "]) |> Ash.read!()

# Loading on existing records
Ash.load!(users, :full_name)

Code Interface for Calculations

Define calculation functions on your domain for standalone use:

# In your domain
resource User do
  define_calculation :full_name, args: [:first_name, :last_name, {:optional, :separator}]
end

# Then call it directly
MyDomain.full_name("John", "Doe", ", ")  # Returns "John, Doe"

Aggregates

Aggregates allow you to retrieve summary information over groups of related data, like counts, sums, or averages. Define aggregates in the aggregates block of a resource.

Aggregates can work over relationships or directly over unrelated resources:

aggregates do
  # Related aggregates - use relationship path
  count :published_post_count, :posts do
    filter expr(published == true)
  end

  sum :total_sales, :orders, :amount

  exists :is_admin, :roles do
    filter expr(name == "admin")
  end

  # Unrelated aggregates - use resource module directly
  count :matching_profiles_count, Profile do
    filter expr(name == parent(name))
  end
  
  sum :total_report_score, Report, :score do
    filter expr(author_name == parent(name))
  end
  
  exists :has_reports, Report do
    filter expr(author_name == parent(name))
  end
end

For unrelated aggregates, use parent/1 to reference fields from the source resource.

Aggregate Types

• count: Counts related items meeting criteria
• sum: Sums a field across related items
• exists: Returns boolean indicating if matching related items exist (also supports unrelated resources)
• first: Gets the first related value matching criteria
• list: Lists the related values for a specific field
• max: Gets the maximum value of a field
• min: Gets the minimum value of a field
• avg: Gets the average value of a field

Using Aggregates

# Using code interface options (preferred)
users = MyDomain.list_users!(
  load: [:published_post_count, :total_sales],
  query: [
    filter: [published_post_count: [greater_than: 5]],
    sort: [published_post_count: :desc]
  ]
)

# Manual query building (for complex cases)
User |> Ash.Query.filter(published_post_count > 5) |> Ash.read!()

# Loading on existing records
Ash.load!(users, :published_post_count)

Join Filters

For complex aggregates involving multiple relationships, use join filters:

aggregates do
  sum :redeemed_deal_amount, [:redeems, :deal], :amount do
    # Filter on the aggregate as a whole
    filter expr(redeems.redeemed == true)

    # Apply filters to specific relationship steps
    join_filter :redeems, expr(redeemed == true)
    join_filter [:redeems, :deal], expr(active == parent(require_active))
  end
end

Inline Aggregates

Use aggregates inline within expressions:

# Related inline aggregates
calculate :grade_percentage, :decimal, expr(
  count(answers, query: [filter: expr(correct == true)]) * 100 /
  count(answers)
)

# Unrelated inline aggregates
calculate :profile_count, :integer, expr(
  count(Profile, filter: expr(name == parent(name)))
)

calculate :stats, :map, expr(%{
  profiles: count(Profile, filter: expr(active == true)),
  reports: count(Report, filter: expr(author_name == parent(name))),
  has_active_profile: exists(Profile, active == true and name == parent(name))
})

Exists Expressions

Use exists/2 to check for the existence of records, either through relationships or unrelated resources:

Related Exists

# Check if user has any admin roles
Ash.Query.filter(User, exists(roles, name == "admin"))

# Check if post has comments with high scores
Ash.Query.filter(Post, exists(comments, score > 50))

Unrelated Exists

# Check if any profile exists with the same name
Ash.Query.filter(User, exists(Profile, name == parent(name)))

# Check if user has any reports
Ash.Query.filter(User, exists(Report, author_name == parent(name)))

# Complex existence checks
Ash.Query.filter(User, 
  active == true and 
  exists(Profile, active == true and name == parent(name))
)

Unrelated exists expressions automatically apply authorization using the target resource's primary read action. Use parent/1 to reference fields from the source resource.

Testing

When testing resources:

• Test your domain actions through the code interface
• Use test utilities in Ash.Test
• Test authorization policies work as expected using Ash.can?
• Use authorize?: false in tests where authorization is not the focus
• Write generators using Ash.Generator
• Prefer to use raising versions of functions whenever possible, as opposed to pattern matching

Preventing Deadlocks in Concurrent Tests

When running tests concurrently, using fixed values for identity attributes can cause deadlock errors. Multiple tests attempting to create records with the same unique values will conflict.

Use Globally Unique Values

Always use globally unique values for identity attributes in tests:

# BAD - Can cause deadlocks in concurrent tests
%{email: "test@example.com", username: "testuser"}

# GOOD - Use globally unique values
%{
  email: "test-#{System.unique_integer([:positive])}@example.com",
  username: "user_#{System.unique_integer([:positive])}",
  slug: "post-#{System.unique_integer([:positive])}"
}

Creating Reusable Test Generators

For better organization, create a generator module:

defmodule MyApp.TestGenerators do
  use Ash.Generator

  def user(opts \\ []) do
    changeset_generator(
      User,
      :create,
      defaults: [
        email: "user-#{System.unique_integer([:positive])}@example.com",
        username: "user_#{System.unique_integer([:positive])}"
      ],
      overrides: opts
    )
  end
end

# In your tests
test "concurrent user creation" do
  users = MyApp.TestGenerators.generate_many(user(), 10)
  # Each user has unique identity attributes
end

This applies to ANY field used in identity constraints, not just primary keys. Using globally unique values prevents frustrating intermittent test failures in CI environments.