---
title: "Database schema & key type — Options for Laravel | Roundly"
description: "The single options table, how key_type types the owner columns for bigint, UUID or ULID owners, and swapping in your own model."
url: https://roundly-consulting.com/open-source/docs/options-for-laravel/database-schema
language: en
---

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[Options for Laravel](https://roundly-consulting.com/open-source/docs/options-for-laravel.md)

# Database schema & key type

One table, options, stores every value — global and owned:

```php
Schema::create('options', function (Blueprint $table) use ($keyType): void {
    $table->id();
    $table->morphKey('owner', $keyType, nullable: true); // owner_type + owner_id
    // 'global' or a hash of owner type + id, filled by the model
    $table->string('owner_scope', 32);
    $table->string('key')->index();
    $table->text('value')->nullable();
    $table->jsonb('meta')->nullable();
    $table->timestamps();
    $table->softDeletes();

    $table->index(['owner_type', 'owner_id', 'key']);
    $table->unique(['owner_scope', 'key']);
});
```

| Column | Type | Notes |
| --- | --- | --- |
| `id` | bigint, auto-increment | Primary key. |
| `owner_type / owner_id` | nullable morph (per key\_type) | Both null = a global value; otherwise the owning model. |
| `owner_scope` | string(32) | global, or a hash of owner type + id. The model fills it on every save; unique together with key. |
| `key` | string, indexed | The option’s key(). |
| `value` | text, nullable | The raw stored string — the value serialized through its cast, and encrypted for encrypted options. Cast back on every read. |
| `meta` | jsonb, nullable | Free-form metadata, cast to a Collection on the model. |
| `created_at / updated_at` | timestamps | — |
| `deleted_at` | soft deletes | forget() soft-deletes the row. |

A row with a null owner\_type and owner\_id is a global value; any other row belongs to the model it morphs to. The composite index on (owner\_type, owner\_id, key) makes a scoped lookup a single indexed query.

The unique index on (owner\_scope, key) holds the table to one row per option and scope. Two requests writing a new option at the same moment can’t store it twice — the second write updates the first one’s row, also inside a transaction on MySQL, where it re-reads that row with a locking read — and a forgotten option’s soft-deleted row is reused by the next set() or import.

## Owner key type

key\_type types the polymorphic owner columns. It describes the models that own values — never the options table itself, which always keeps an auto-incrementing id:

| key\_type | Owner columns | Use when your owners… |
| --- | --- | --- |
| `bigint` | nullableMorphs | use Laravel’s default auto-incrementing keys (the default) |
| `uuid` | nullableUuidMorphs | use HasUuids |
| `ulid` | nullableUlidMorphs | use HasUlids |

It’s read when the migration runs, so set it first. The value is case-insensitive; anything other than bigint, uuid or ulid throws InvalidConfigurationException when the migration runs instead of falling back.

## The Option model

RoundlyConsulting\\Options\\Option is a regular Eloquent model with soft deletes, a factory and an owner() morphTo relation. The value column has no static cast — each option applies its own castAs() at read and write time. Useful members:

```php
use RoundlyConsulting\Options\Option;

Option::query()->forOwner($user)->get();   // rows owned by $user
Option::query()->forOwner(null)->get();    // global rows only

$row = Option::query()->forOwner($user)->where('key', 'theme')->first();

$row->owner;         // the owning model (null for a global row)
$row->owner_scope;   // 'global', or a hash of owner type + id (set on every save)
$row->meta;          // Collection|null
```

## Custom model

Point options.model at your own subclass to add relations, scopes or accessors — every read, write, export and import goes through it:

```php
namespace App\Models;

use RoundlyConsulting\Options\Option;

class TenantOption extends Option
{
    // extra relations, scopes or accessors
}

// config/options.php
'model' => App\Models\TenantOption::class,
```

A key that is not set — absent, null or blank — resolves the packaged model. Anything else must be Option or a subclass of it, or the toolkit’s InvalidConfigurationException is thrown naming the key — a foreign class is never silently replaced with the packaged model.

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