Modify a collection

This guide shows how to rename a collection and update collection-level properties after creation.

Using `vbase.raw`

Some collection modification APIs are exposed through the underlying Milvus-compatible client. In the DODIL SDK, you can access it via:


raw = vbase.raw

You’ll use raw in the examples below.

Rename a collection

Renaming changes the collection’s name (metadata) without moving your data.


# Rename an existing collection
vbase.raw.rename_collection(
    old_name="my_collection",
    new_name="my_new_collection",
)

Notes

If you have application code that references the old name, update it accordingly.
If you need a stable name while changing the underlying collection, consider using aliases (see the Aliases guide).

Set collection properties

You can modify certain collection-level properties after a collection is created.

Supported properties

Below are common properties you can update (availability may vary by backend/version):

Property	What it does
`collection.ttl.seconds`	Time-to-live (TTL) in seconds. After TTL expires, entities are deleted asynchronously.
`mmap.enabled`	Enables memory mapping (mmap) so indexes/data can be stored across RAM + disk for larger capacity.
`partitionkey.isolation`	Enables Partition Key Isolation: creates separate indexes per partition-key value to reduce scan scope.
`dynamicfield.enabled`	Enables dynamic fields (if the collection was created without it). Allows inserting extra fields not defined in schema.
`allow_insert_auto_id`	Controls whether user-provided primary keys are accepted when AutoID is enabled.
`timezone`	Default timezone for time-sensitive operations (e.g., `TIMESTAMPTZ`). Must be a valid IANA timezone (e.g., `UTC`, `Africa/Cairo`).

Example 1: Set collection TTL


# Delete entities after 7 days (7 * 24 * 60 * 60 seconds)
seconds_7_days = 7 * 24 * 60 * 60
 
vbase.raw.alter_collection_properties(
    collection_name="my_collection",
    properties={
        "collection.ttl.seconds": str(seconds_7_days),
    },
)

What to expect: TTL deletion is asynchronous—data may still be searchable for a short period until cleanup completes.

Example 2: Enable mmap


vbase.raw.alter_collection_properties(
    collection_name="my_collection",
    properties={
        "mmap.enabled": "true",
    },
)

Example 3: Enable Partition Key Isolation


vbase.raw.alter_collection_properties(
    collection_name="my_collection",
    properties={
        "partitionkey.isolation": "true",
    },
)

Example 4: Enable dynamic fields

If your collection was created without dynamic fields, you can enable them later:


vbase.raw.alter_collection_properties(
    collection_name="my_collection",
    properties={
        "dynamicfield.enabled": "true",
    },
)

Once enabled, you can insert entities that contain additional fields beyond the original schema (those fields will be stored under the dynamic field).

Example 5: Allow user-provided primary keys when AutoID is enabled

By default, AutoID collections generate primary keys. If you want to allow user-provided primary keys when they are present:


vbase.raw.alter_collection_properties(
    collection_name="my_collection",
    properties={
        "allow_insert_auto_id": "true",
    },
)

Example 6: Set collection timezone

Useful when you rely on time-aware fields (like TIMESTAMPTZ) and want consistent display/comparison behavior.


vbase.raw.alter_collection_properties(
    collection_name="my_collection",
    properties={
        "timezone": "Africa/Cairo",
    },
)

Verify your changes

You can confirm settings using describe_collection:


info = vbase.describe_collection("my_collection")
print(info)

If a property isn’t shown, it may be unsupported by your backend/version, or the backend may surface it via a different field.

Troubleshooting

I can’t find `alter_collection_properties` / `rename_collection`

Ensure you are calling them via vbase.raw.
If your backend restricts admin operations, verify your service account permissions.

I’m connected through a proxy

If you connect through a VBase endpoint (HTTPS + token-based auth), some cluster-level operations may be restricted. Collection-level operations shown above are typically supported, but exact behavior depends on your deployment.

Using vbase.raw