infi.clickhouse_orm/docs/schema_migrations.md

Schema Migrations
=================

Over time, the ORM models in your application may change. Migrations provide a way to modify the database tables according to the changes in your models, without writing raw SQL.

The migrations that were applied to the database are recorded in the `infi_clickhouse_orm_migrations` table, so migrating the database will only apply any missing migrations.

Writing Migrations
------------------

To write migrations, create a Python package. Then create a python file for the initial migration. The migration files must begin with a four-digit number, and will be applied in sequence. For example:

    analytics
       |
       +-- analytics_migrations
              |
              +-- __init__.py
              |
              +-- 0001_initial.py
              |
              +-- 0002_add_user_agents_table.py

Each migration file is expected to contain a list of `operations`, for example:

    from infi.clickhouse_orm import migrations
    from analytics import models

    operations = [
        migrations.CreateTable(models.Visits),
        migrations.CreateTable(models.Visitors)
    ]

The following operations are supported:


### CreateTable

A migration operation that creates a table for a given model class. If the table already exists, the operation does nothing.

In case the model class is a `BufferModel`, the operation first creates the underlying on-disk table, and then creates the buffer table.


### DropTable

A migration operation that drops the table of a given model class. If the table does not exist, the operation does nothing.


### AlterTable

A migration operation that compares the table of a given model class to the model’s fields, and alters the table to match the model. The operation can:

-   add new columns
-   drop obsolete columns
-   modify column types

Default values are not altered by this operation.


### AlterTableWithBuffer

A compound migration operation for altering a buffer table and its underlying on-disk table. The buffer table is dropped, the on-disk table is altered, and then the buffer table is re-created. This is the procedure recommended in the ClickHouse documentation for handling scenarios in which the underlying table needs to be modified.

Applying this migration operation to a regular table has the same effect as an `AlterTable` operation.


### AlterConstraints

A migration operation that adds new constraints from the model to the database table, and drops obsolete ones. Constraints are identified by their names, so a change in an existing constraint will not be detected unless its name was changed too. ClickHouse does not check that the constraints hold for existing data in the table.


### RunPython

A migration operation that runs a Python function. The function receives the `Database` instance to operate on.

    def forward(database):
        database.insert([
             TestModel(field=1)
        ])

    operations = [
        migrations.RunPython(forward),
    ]


### RunSQL

A migration operation that runs raw SQL statements. It expects a string containing an SQL statements, or a list of statements.

Example:

    operations = [
        RunSQL('INSERT INTO `test_table` (field) VALUES (1)'),
        RunSQL([
          'INSERT INTO `test_table` (field) VALUES (2)',
          'INSERT INTO `test_table` (field) VALUES (3)'
         ])
    ]


Running Migrations
------------------

To migrate a database, create a `Database` instance and call its `migrate` method with the package name containing your migrations:

    Database('analytics_db').migrate('analytics.analytics_migrations')

Note that you may have more than one migrations package.


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