# Before you begin

Before you begin, gather the following items:

* The Elasticsearch REST bulk insert plugin. For installation details, see [Install plugins](/pdia-data-integration/10.2-data-integration/advanced-topics-pentaho-data-integration-overview/use-the-pentaho-marketplace-to-manage-plugins/install-plugins.md).
* A working server with Elasticsearch version 7.x or 8.x installed or create a SaaS offering for your Elasticsearch server. You should be able to connect to Elasticsearch from the computer running PDI.

  **Note:** As a best practice, use compatibility mode when connecting to Elasticsearch 8.x with older clients, see [Connecting to Elasticsearch v8.x using the v7.17.x client](https://www.elastic.co/guide/en/elasticsearch/client/net-api/7.17/connecting-to-elasticsearch-v8.html) for details.
* Privileges to create, insert, and update on the directories that you need to access on the Elasticsearch server.
* Files or data that you want Elasticsearch to index.


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# Agent Instructions: Querying This Documentation

If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation dynamically by asking a question.

Perform an HTTP GET request on the current page URL with the `ask` query parameter:

```
GET https://docs.pentaho.com/pdia-data-integration/10.2-data-integration/pdi-transformation-steps-reference-overview/elasticsearch-rest-bulk-insert/before-you-begin-elasticsearch-rest-bulk-insert.md?ask=<question>
```

The question should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language.
The response will contain a direct answer to the question and relevant excerpts and sources from the documentation.

Use this mechanism when the answer is not explicitly present in the current page, you need clarification or additional context, or you want to retrieve related documentation sections.