Composite Constraints

Define multi-property constraints in Graph DB mode. Create composite unique keys, compound indexes, existence constraints, and node keys for Neo4j schema design.

February 5, 2026

Composite constraints combine multiple properties into a single constraint. In Graph DB mode, you can define constraints that span two or more properties, enabling composite unique keys, compound indexes, and node keys for Neo4j deployment.

Constraint Types

Four types of composite constraints are supported:

Use Cases

Creating Composite Constraints

Constraint Configuration

Storage Format

Composite constraints are stored at the document level:

{
  "compositeConstraints": [
    {
      "id": "constraint-001",
      "name": "orderline_pk",
      "type": "node-key",
      "nodeId": "node-orderline",
      "propertyIds": ["prop-orderid", "prop-productid"],
      "description": "Composite primary key for order lines"
    },
    {
      "id": "constraint-002",
      "name": "customer_name_idx",
      "type": "index",
      "nodeId": "node-customer",
      "propertyIds": ["prop-lastname", "prop-firstname"],
      "description": "Compound index for name searches"
    }
  ]
}

Cypher Export

Composite constraints are included in Cypher export:

// Node key constraint (Neo4j Enterprise)
CREATE CONSTRAINT orderline_pk IF NOT EXISTS
FOR (n:OrderLine)
REQUIRE (n.orderId, n.productId) IS NODE KEY;

// Composite unique constraint
CREATE CONSTRAINT tenant_entity_unique IF NOT EXISTS
FOR (n:Entity)
REQUIRE (n.tenantId, n.entityCode) IS UNIQUE;

// Compound index
CREATE INDEX customer_name_idx IF NOT EXISTS
FOR (n:Customer)
ON (n.lastName, n.firstName);

Validation

The validation service checks composite constraints:

Property vs Composite Constraints

Choose the right constraint level:

Examples

Multi-Tenant Entity

An entity that is unique within a tenant but can have the same code across tenants:

{
  "name": "tenant_entity_unique",
  "type": "unique",
  "propertyIds": ["tenantId", "entityCode"]
}

Time-Range Validation

Verify that temporal nodes always have both start and end dates:

{
  "name": "period_dates_exist",
  "type": "exists",
  "propertyIds": ["startDate", "endDate"]
}

Order Line Key

Composite primary key for line items:

{
  "name": "orderline_pk",
  "type": "node-key",
  "propertyIds": ["orderId", "lineNumber"]
}