Version

WARNING You're browsing the documentation for an upcoming version of Laravel DataTables. The documentation and features of this release are subject to change.

Eloquent Data Source

Use Laravel's Eloquent Model as the data source for your DataTables. The Yajra\DataTables\EloquentDataTable class handles the conversion of your Eloquent Model into a DataTables-compatible response.

Quick Start

use Yajra\DataTables\Facades\DataTables;
use App\Models\User;
 
Route::get('user-data', function() {
    $model = User::query();
 
    return DataTables::eloquent($model)->toJson();
});

With Relationships

Eager load relationships when building your query:

use Yajra\DataTables\Facades\DataTables;
use App\Models\User;
 
Route::get('user-data', function() {
    $model = User::with(['posts', 'roles']);
 
    return DataTables::eloquent($model)->toJson();
});

[!TIP] See Relationships for detailed information on searching and sorting eager loaded relationships.

With Count (and Sum)

Use withCount() and withSum() to efficiently load relation counts and sums, avoiding N+1 queries:

use Yajra\DataTables\Facades\DataTables;
use App\Models\User;
 
Route::get('user-data', function() {
    $model = User::withCount('posts'); // Results in posts_count attribute
 
    return DataTables::eloquent($model)
        ->addColumn('full_name', function (User $user) {
            return $user->first_name . ' ' . $user->last_name;
        })
        ->toJson();
});

When defining the column for count/sum values, use orderable(true) and searchable(false):

// In your Html builder:
Column::make('posts_count', 'posts_count')
    ->orderable(true)
    ->searchable(false),
 
// For sums, use Column::make with the sum attribute name:
Column::make('posts_sum_amount', 'posts_sum_amount')
    ->orderable(true)
    ->searchable(false),

[!WARNING] Never use $user->posts()->count() or $user->posts()->sum('amount') in addColumn — this causes N+1 queries. Always use withCount()/withSum() in the query and access the preloaded attribute.

With Query Scopes

Apply model scopes for filtered results:

use Yajra\DataTables\Facades\DataTables;
use App\Models\User;
 
Route::get('user-data', function() {
    $model = User::active()->verified();
 
    return DataTables::eloquent($model)->toJson();
});

Adding Custom Columns

Add computed columns with closures. Use a variable name matching the model (e.g., $user for User):

use Yajra\DataTables\Facades\DataTables;
use App\Models\User;
 
Route::get('user-data', function() {
    $model = User::withCount('posts'); // Use withCount to avoid N+1
 
    return DataTables::eloquent($model)
        ->addColumn('full_name', function (User $user) {
            return $user->first_name . ' ' . $user->last_name;
        })
        ->toJson();
});

[!NOTE] Added columns are computed and not part of the database, so search and sort are disabled by default. Use editColumn if you need search/sort functionality.

Filtering

Filter results using Eloquent where clauses:

use Yajra\DataTables\Facades\DataTables;
use App\Models\User;
 
Route::get('user-data', function() {
    $model = User::where('active', true)
        ->whereNotNull('email_verified_at');
 
    return DataTables::eloquent($model)->toJson();
});

When to Use Eloquent

Use Case	Recommendation
Standard CRUD tables	✅ Perfect for Eloquent
Relationships	✅ Automatic eager loading
Model scopes	✅ Clean, reusable filtering
Complex JOINs	Consider Query Builder

Eloquent Data Source

Quick Start

With Relationships

With Count (and Sum)

With Query Scopes

Adding Custom Columns

Filtering

When to Use Eloquent

See Also