**Source URL:** https://general.veevavault.dev/vault-sdk/entry-points/triggers/doctype-triggers/about-doctype-trigger-events.md

# About Doctype Trigger Events



Doctype trigger events specify the type of data change that causes this trigger fire. For example, triggers can fire before or after create, update, and delete events. Create events are called `INSERT` in Vault Java SDK.

Available doctype trigger events:

* `BEFORE_INSERT`

* `AFTER_INSERT`

* `BEFORE_UPDATE`

* `AFTER_UPDATE`

* `BEFORE_DELETE`

* `AFTER_DELETE`

When reading about events in documentation, a `BEFORE` event refers to any event which includes `BEFORE`, for example, `BEFORE_INSERT`, `BEFORE_UPDATE`, and `BEFORE_DELETE`. Similarly, an UPDATE event refers to any event which includes `UPDATE`, for example, both `BEFORE_UPDATE` and `AFTER_UPDATE`.

Certain information about a document is only available to get or set during certain events. For example, you cannot set document metadata during a `DELETE` event, and you cannot get data during an `INSERT` event. Understanding [data availability](/vault-sdk/entry-points/triggers/data-availability/) can help you pick the right event for your custom logic.

## INSERT {#insert}

`INSERT` events are create events, and fire whenever a new document or document version is created. For example, uploading a new version of an existing document.

## UPDATE {#update}

`UPDATE` doctype triggers occur whenever data on the same document version changes.

<Aside type="note" title="Note">`UPDATE` doctype triggers only update the latest version of a document. Triggers scoped to the `DOCUMENT` level will never fire on `UPDATE` events.

</Aside>
A change to a document that causes a new document version is considered an `INSERT` event, not an `UPDATE` event.
For example, uploading a new version of an existing document is an `INSERT` event, while updating the `archive__v` field on an existing document version is an `UPDATE` event.

## DELETE {#delete}

`DELETE` doctype triggers fire on delete events, either deleting an entire document or deleting a single version. When an entire document is deleted, Vault fires `DOCUMENT` triggers, but does not fire triggers for every subsequent deleted version.

If a user deletes a document version, Vault fires `DELETE` triggers scoped to `DOCUMENT_VERSION`. If that version is the last remaining version for the document, this instructs Vault to delete the entire document, which also fires `DELETE` triggers scoped to `DOCUMENT`.



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