11 ms·
Assuming one step per day to rename a column: create new column, update code to write to new and old, update code to read from new, update code only write to ne
by jcampbell1 7y ago
Assuming one step per day to rename a column: create new column, update code to write to new and old, update code to read from new, update code only write to new, rename old to something like xxx_del_pending, delete old column.
This process lets you validate and rollback/recover if needed.
- seanwilson 7y agoIs there a quicker but still fairly safe alternative to this? If you're working solo for example, this doesn't sound practical.
- matwood 7y agoI'll answer both your questions here. Yes, we can rollback a db change using migrates but usually a true rollback requires a restore since data will be lost. In general what I have found is that database changes are unique to your situation. When an app is small it's fine for them to automatically run with the code commits. The system I deal with now has some very large tables, and running database migrations often requires planning. A column addition might be added weeks before the code is written to use the new column. It's just the nature of dealing with large tables. Working solo, typically also means smaller, so there is a lot more leeway. I would do whatever works for you, and realize it's a good thing if you ever large enough to need to address other problems.