---
prelude: >
  The `Document` serialisation has been changed quite a bit, this will make it easier to implement
  new Document Stores.

  The most notable change is that the `Document.flatten()` method has been removed.
  `Document.to_dict()` now has a `flatten` parameter, that defaults to `True` for backward compatibility.
  It will flatten metadata keys at the same level of other `Document` fields when converting to `dict`.

  `to_json` and `from_json` have been removed, as `to_dict` and `from_dict` already handle serialisation
  of `dataframe` and `blob` fields.
  Now `metadata` must only contain primitives that can be serialised to JSON with no custom encoders.
  If any Document Store needs custom serialisation they can implement their own logic.

  `Document` has also been made backward compatible so that it can be created using dictionaries
  structured as the legacy 1.x `Document`. The legacy fields will be converted automatically to
  their new counterparts, or ignored if there's none.
preview:
  - |
    Refactor Document serialisation and make it backward compatible with Haystack 1.x