Database Migrations , also known as Schema Migrations or simply Migrations, is a database modeling abstraction and versioning concept.
Like Git, for example, Migrations basically allows for versioning operations within the database structure. It also facilitates the storage of abstractions of its structure, allowing its implementation in many languages and support for different database systems.
If you haven’t used this solution yet or want to learn more about it, keep reading!
What are Migrations for?
Anyone who develops extensively using databases, more specifically SQL , knows very well that changes to the structure and metadata of a system occur all the time.
Therefore, one of the biggest challenges in programming is precisely software maintenance and change management. That’s because there are dozens of methodologies, standards, frameworks, tools, and everything else that aids middle east mobile number list in this process.
It is precisely in this context that Migrations emerged, to facilitate daily maintenance.
Imagine a scenario where you’re the developer of a PHP project. Wouldn’t it be much easier if you could structure your database using PHP’s own functions? What’s more, performing operations—how do you upload the entire database model using a single command?
Let’s now imagine another scenario, which would be the enormous ease of sharing this modeling file with other developers, who would have the exact copy of the database structure with a single command, even in future structure changes.
Because these are the benefits and facilities that Migrations offers.
What is the use of Migrations?
As a concept, its use varies depending on the tool or framework used. In the world of frameworks, for example, migrations are practically mandatory.
Frameworks such as Laravel , Django , Ruby on Rails , .Net and Node.js have well-known implementations of Migrations, which are always present in projects that use these technologies.
The usage in each type of framework and technology can vary, but it is typically used through a command line or CLI of the framework itself.
The Migrations application can also change, but it is more common to have many files, each representing a version of the database structure.
Within these files, there is an abstraction of the database model, that is, a representation of its structure in the language in which it what will we get as a result was implemented. Through it, it is possible to do everything, or almost everything, that we would normally do . To model a database if we used, for example, an SQL file.
The most common is that there are two code blocks with main functions within each Migrations file. One is responsible for applying the changes, usually called up ; while the other is used to revert them , called down .
Obviously, they’re not just for creating, altering, and dropping. Any modification that includes inserting new records, usually metadata, can also be performed by Migrations.
What are the advantages of Migrations?
One of the advantages is that it’s not necessary to specify the database used in your code structure, because the information is fax list abstract. That is, they represent the model of the database, and this opens the door to supporting many types of databases.
Another advantage is the fact that it abstracts SQL from database modeling, which also accelerates the development process, allowing for . Compatibility with many models.
Migrations continues to keep track of version changes in these databases, allowing you to revert to older versions —making professionals’ daily work much easier. Even when a bug needs to be resolved, it often keeps developers awake at night.
