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Andreas Reinhold / reiniandClaude Opus 5 92b3b3de56 Regenerate Boost guidelines and skills
Generated by boost:update for Boost 2.8, which replaces the pest-testing
skill with testing-best-practices and adds infer-conventions.

Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 5 (1M context) <noreply@anthropic.com>
Claude-Session: https://claude.ai/code/session_017XYnWFt9pJEwvAmNFN38XD
2026-09-10 10:42:22 +02:00

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# Advanced Query Best Practices
## Select Single Relationship Values with Subqueries
When only one value from a has-many relationship is needed, consider a correlated subquery with `addSelect()` instead of loading the entire relationship. This selects the value as part of the main query without an additional relationship query.
```php
public function scopeWithLastLoginAt($query): void
{
$query->addSelect([
'last_login_at' => Login::select('created_at')
->whereColumn('user_id', 'users.id')
->latest()
->take(1),
])->withCasts(['last_login_at' => 'datetime']);
}
```
## Create Dynamic Relationships with a Subquery Foreign Key
The same pattern can select a foreign key and expose the selected model through a `belongsTo` relationship. Eager loading that relationship still executes a separate query, but it avoids loading the full has-many collection.
```php
public function lastLogin(): BelongsTo
{
return $this->belongsTo(Login::class, 'last_login_id');
}
public function scopeWithLastLogin($query): void
{
$query->addSelect([
'last_login_id' => Login::select('id')
->whereColumn('user_id', 'users.id')
->latest()
->take(1),
])->with('lastLogin');
}
```
## Combine Related Counts with Conditional Aggregates
Combine several counts over the same filtered data set into one query by using conditional aggregates. Use `toBase()` when only scalar values are needed and model hydration provides no benefit. Confirm the expression syntax against the application's database engine.
```php
$statuses = Feature::toBase()
->selectRaw("count(case when status = 'Requested' then 1 end) as requested")
->selectRaw("count(case when status = 'Planned' then 1 end) as planned")
->selectRaw("count(case when status = 'Completed' then 1 end) as completed")
->first();
```
## Reuse Loaded Parent Models with `setRelation()`
When a parent and its children are already loaded and code also accesses `$child->parent`, set the inverse relationship to the existing parent instance. This avoids an additional lazy-loading query for each child.
```php
$feature->load('comments.user');
$feature->comments->each->setRelation('feature', $feature);
```
## Compare `whereHas()` with an `IN` Subquery
`whereHas()` typically produces an `EXISTS` subquery, while `whereIn()` can express the same filter with an `IN` subquery. Either form may be faster depending on the database engine, indexes, cardinality, and query plan. Measure both forms with representative data; neither subquery loads its result set into PHP memory.
Option using `EXISTS`:
```php
$query->whereHas('company', fn ($q) => $q->where('name', 'like', $term));
```
Option using `IN`:
```php
$query->whereIn('company_id', Company::where('name', 'like', $term)->select('id'));
```
## Measure Two Simple Queries Against One Complex Query
Two targeted queries can outperform one complex correlated subquery or join when the first query is highly selective. They also add a database round trip, can transfer a large identifier list, and do not provide a single-query consistency snapshot. Decide from query plans and production-like measurements.
## Design Composite Indexes for the Query
For common multi-column sorts, consider a composite index whose column order supports the query's filters and ordering. Database engines may combine indexes or choose an explicit sort, so matching the `ORDER BY` list alone does not guarantee that an index will be used. Verify the query plan.
```php
// Migration
$table->index(['last_name', 'first_name']);
// Query that this index may support
User::query()->orderBy('last_name')->orderBy('first_name')->paginate();
```
## Consider a Correlated Subquery for Has-Many Ordering
When sorting by one value from a has-many relationship, a direct join can duplicate parent rows unless it first reduces the related table to one row per parent. A correlated subquery in `orderBy()` is often simpler, but its performance depends on the query plan and supporting indexes.
```php
public function scopeOrderByLastLogin($query): void
{
$query->orderByDesc(Login::select('created_at')
->whereColumn('user_id', 'users.id')
->latest()
->take(1)
);
}
```