How to implement database migrations

Short answer

Use migration tools like Flyway, Liquibase, or framework-specific ORM migrators to version schema changes. Apply migrations incrementally and maintain rollback scripts. For schema design foundations, see how to design a database schema from scratch. For understanding transactions during migrations, see what are database transactions.

Steps

1. Choose a migration tool for your stack
2. Create an initial schema migration from your baseline
3. Write up and down scripts for every schema change
4. Run migrations in CI/CD before deploying application code
5. Test rollback procedures regularly

Tips

• Never modify already-applied migrations in shared environments
• Keep migrations small and focused for easier debugging
• For performance tuning, see what are database indexes and how do they work