Execution Flows - Magento_Eav

Critical Flow

1. Entity Load with EAV Attributes

Loading an EAV entity requires joining multiple value tables to retrieve all attribute values. This flow shows how a product or customer entity is loaded with its EAV data.

[1] Repository::getById($entityId)
    |
[2] AbstractEntity::load($object, $entityId)
    |
[3] Load static attributes from entity table
    |  SELECT * FROM catalog_product_entity WHERE entity_id = ?
    |
[4] AttributeLoader::loadAllAttributes($entityType)
    |  // Get all attributes for this entity type (cached)
    |
[5] For each backend_type (varchar, int, decimal, text, datetime):
    |
    +-->
AbstractEntity::_getLoadAttributesSelect()
    |      SELECT attribute_id, store_id, value
    |      FROM catalog_product_entity_varchar
    |      WHERE entity_id = ? AND store_id IN (0, ?)
    |
[6] Apply store scope fallback
    |  // Store value overrides default (store_id=0) if exists
    |
[7] Run Frontend Model::getValue() for formatting
    |
[8] Return hydrated entity object

N+1 Query Warning

Loading multiple entities individually causes N+1 queries. Use collections with addAttributeToSelect('*') or specific attributes to batch-load values.

Critical Flow

2. Entity Save with EAV Values

Saving an EAV entity writes to multiple tables: the entity table and all relevant value tables based on which attributes have been modified.

[1] Repository::save($entity)
    |
[2] AbstractEntity::save($object)
    |
[3] Run Backend Model::validate() for each attribute
    |  // Throws exception if validation fails
    |
[4] Run Backend Model::beforeSave() for each attribute
    |  // Transform values (e.g., serialize arrays)
    |
[5] Save static attributes to entity table
    |  INSERT/UPDATE catalog_product_entity
    |
[6] For each modified EAV attribute:
    |
    +-->
 Determine value table from backend_type
    |
    +-->
 If value is null: DELETE from value table
    |
    +-->
 If value exists: INSERT ... ON DUPLICATE KEY UPDATE
    |
[7] Run Backend Model::afterSave() for each attribute
    |
[8] Dispatch model_save_after event

Store Scope Handling

// Saving a product with store-scoped attribute
$product->setStoreId(1); // French store
$product->setName('Produit Exemple');
$productRepository->save($product);

// This creates TWO rows in catalog_product_entity_varchar:
// 1. entity_id=X, attribute_id=Y, store_id=0, value='Default Name'
// 2. entity_id=X, attribute_id=Y, store_id=1, value='Produit Exemple'

// To use default value (delete store-specific):
$product->setName(false); // or $product->setData('name', false)
            

Important Flow

3. Attribute Configuration Loading

The Eav\Model\Config class loads and caches all entity types and their attributes. This happens once and is cached for subsequent requests.

1
Eav\Model\Config::getEntityType($entityType)

Check cache for entity type configuration
2
Load from eav_entity_type table

Get entity model, attribute model, table names
3
Eav\Model\Config::getAttributes($entityType)

Load all attributes for entity type from cache or database
4
Join eav_attribute + additional_attribute_table

E.g., eav_attribute + catalog_eav_attribute for products
5
Cache with tag 'eav'

Stored in configured cache backend (Redis, file, etc.)

Cache Invalidation

After adding/modifying attributes, flush the EAV cache: bin/magento cache:flush eav

Important Flow

4. Attribute Option Resolution

For select/multiselect attributes, option values are stored as IDs. The source model resolves these IDs to human-readable labels.

[1] Entity loaded with color = 45 (option_id)
    |
[2] Template calls $product->getAttributeText('color')
    |
[3] Get attribute by code from Eav\Model\Config
    |
[4] Get Source Model from attribute (e.g., Table source)
    |
[5] Source\Table::getOptionText(45)
    |
    +-->
 Query eav_attribute_option_value
    |      WHERE option_id = 45 AND store_id IN (0, current_store)
    |
[6] Return label: "Blue" (or store-specific translation)

// Getting option text in code
$colorLabel = $product->getAttributeText('color'); // "Blue"

// Getting all options for an attribute
$attribute = $eavConfig->getAttribute(Product::ENTITY, 'color');
$options = $attribute->getSource()->getAllOptions();
// Returns: [['value' => 45, 'label' => 'Blue'], ...]

// Custom source model implementation
class CustomSource extends AbstractSource
{
    public function getAllOptions()
    {
        return [
            ['value' => '', 'label' => __('-- Select --')],
            ['value' => 'option1', 'label' => __('Option 1')],
            ['value' => 'option2', 'label' => __('Option 2')],
        ];
    }
}
            

Standard Flow

5. Attribute Set Assignment

When creating a new entity, it must be assigned an attribute set. This determines which attributes are available and how they're organized in the admin form.

[1] Admin creates new product
    |
[2] Select attribute set (e.g., "Clothing")
    |
[3] Load attribute set: AttributeSetRepository::get($setId)
    |
[4] Load groups in set: eav_attribute_group
    |  WHERE attribute_set_id = ? ORDER BY sort_order
    |
[5] Load attributes per group: eav_entity_attribute
    |  WHERE attribute_group_id = ? ORDER BY sort_order
    |
[6] Render form tabs (groups) with fields (attributes)
    |
[7] On save: set attribute_set_id on entity

Standard Flow

6. Backend Model Validation

Backend models provide hooks for validation and data transformation during save operations.

// Example: ArrayBackend for multiselect attributes
class ArrayBackend extends AbstractBackend
{
    public function beforeSave($object)
    {
        $attributeCode = $this->getAttribute()->getAttributeCode();
        $data = $object->getData($attributeCode);

        // Convert array to comma-separated string for storage
        if (is_array($data)) {
            $object->setData($attributeCode, implode(',', array_filter($data)));
        }

        return $this;
    }

    public function afterLoad($object)
    {
        $attributeCode = $this->getAttribute()->getAttributeCode();
        $data = $object->getData($attributeCode);

        // Convert back to array on load
        if ($data && !is_array($data)) {
            $object->setData($attributeCode, explode(',', $data));
        }

        return $this;
    }
}

// Validation example
public function validate($object)
{
    $value = $object->getData($this->getAttribute()->getAttributeCode());

    if ($this->getAttribute()->getIsRequired() && empty($value)) {
        throw new LocalizedException(
            __('"%1" is required.', $this->getAttribute()->getFrontendLabel())
        );
    }

    return true;
}
            