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Database Migration

Seth HobsonCommunityCreated by Seth Hobson

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  • Software development
  • MIT
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From the author

Execute database migrations across ORMs and platforms with zero-downtime strategies, data transformation, and rollback procedures. Use when migrating databases, changing schemas, performing data transformations, or implementing zero-downtime deployment strategies.
— the description by Seth Hobson

AutoGineer summary

Written by AutoGineer from the skill’s own files, not by the author

This skill provides a structured approach to managing database migrations across popular ORMs like Sequelize, TypeORM, and Prisma. It covers essential patterns for schema evolution, complex data transformations, and robust rollback procedures. The focus is on maintaining application availability through zero-downtime deployment strategies, such as multi-phase column renaming and blue-green migration patterns, ensuring data integrity throughout the lifecycle of a database change.

What it does

  • Provides templates for ORM-specific migration scripts
  • Demonstrates multi-step zero-downtime column renaming
  • Offers patterns for complex data transformation and migration
  • Implements transaction-based safety for schema changes
  • Includes checkpoint-based rollback strategies for data protection
  • Handles cross-database dialect differences

When to use it

  • When performing schema refactoring on production databases
  • When migrating data between different ORMs or database engines
  • When implementing zero-downtime deployment pipelines
  • When complex data transformations are required during schema updates
  • When establishing robust rollback procedures for database changes

Advantages

  • Minimizes service disruption during database updates
  • Ensures data consistency through transactional migration steps
  • Provides clear patterns for handling breaking schema changes
  • Supports multiple popular ORMs in a single framework
  • Reduces risk with built-in rollback and verification logic

Usage examples

“How do I rename a column in my database without causing downtime?”
The agent provides a three-step migration pattern: adding a new column, copying data, and eventually removing the old column after updating the application code.
“Show me how to safely add a column with a default value in Sequelize.”
The agent generates a migration script using queryInterface.addColumn with the appropriate Sequelize data types and default values.
“I need to migrate data from a single string column into three separate columns. How should I structure this?”
The agent provides a script that selects existing records, splits the string data, and performs individual updates, followed by the removal of the old column.
“How can I ensure my migration rolls back if something goes wrong?”
The agent demonstrates using database transactions or creating temporary backup tables to restore the original state if a verification check fails.

Install

  1. Download the skill as a ZIP:

    https://autogineer.com/agent-skills/wshobson/database-migration/download

  2. Unzip it into the cross-client skills folder of your project:

    mkdir -p .agents/skills && unzip database-migration.zip -d .agents/skills

Documentation by Seth Hobson

Database Migration

Master database schema and data migrations across ORMs (Sequelize, TypeORM, Prisma), including rollback strategies and zero-downtime deployments.

When to Use This Skill

  • Migrating between different ORMs

  • Performing schema transformations

  • Moving data between databases

  • Implementing rollback procedures

  • Zero-downtime deployments

  • Database version upgrades

  • Data model refactoring

ORM Migrations

Sequelize Migrations
// migrations/20231201-create-users.js
module.exports = {
  up: async (queryInterface, Sequelize) => {
    await queryInterface.createTable("users", {
      id: {
        type: Sequelize.INTEGER,
        primaryKey: true,
        autoIncrement: true,
      },
      email: {
        type: Sequelize.STRING,
        unique: true,
        allowNull: false,
      },
      createdAt: Sequelize.DATE,
      updatedAt: Sequelize.DATE,
    });
  },

  down: async (queryInterface, Sequelize) => {
    await queryInterface.dropTable("users");
  },
};

// Run: npx sequelize-cli db:migrate
// Rollback: npx sequelize-cli db:migrate:undo
TypeORM Migrations
// migrations/1701234567-CreateUsers.ts
import { MigrationInterface, QueryRunner, Table } from "typeorm";

export class CreateUsers1701234567 implements MigrationInterface {
  public async up(queryRunner: QueryRunner): Promise<void> {
    await queryRunner.createTable(
      new Table({
        name: "users",
        columns: [
          {
            name: "id",
            type: "int",
            isPrimary: true,
            isGenerated: true,
            generationStrategy: "increment",
          },
          {
            name: "email",
            type: "varchar",
            isUnique: true,
          },
          {
            name: "created_at",
            type: "timestamp",
            default: "CURRENT_TIMESTAMP",
          },
        ],
      }),
    );
  }

  public async down(queryRunner: QueryRunner): Promise<void> {
    await queryRunner.dropTable("users");
  }
}

// Run: npm run typeorm migration:run
// Rollback: npm run typeorm migration:revert
Prisma Migrations
// schema.prisma
model User {
  id        Int      @id @default(autoincrement())
  email     String   @unique
  createdAt DateTime @default(now())
}

// Generate migration: npx prisma migrate dev --name create_users
// Apply: npx prisma migrate deploy

Schema Transformations

Adding Columns with Defaults
// Safe migration: add column with default
module.exports = {
  up: async (queryInterface, Sequelize) => {
    await queryInterface.addColumn("users", "status", {
      type: Sequelize.STRING,
      defaultValue: "active",
      allowNull: false,
    });
  },

  down: async (queryInterface) => {
    await queryInterface.removeColumn("users", "status");
  },
};
Renaming Columns (Zero Downtime)
// Step 1: Add new column
module.exports = {
  up: async (queryInterface, Sequelize) => {
    await queryInterface.addColumn("users", "full_name", {
      type: Sequelize.STRING,
    });

    // Copy data from old column
    await queryInterface.sequelize.query("UPDATE users SET full_name = name");
  },

  down: async (queryInterface) => {
    await queryInterface.removeColumn("users", "full_name");
  },
};

// Step 2: Update application to use new column

// Step 3: Remove old column
module.exports = {
  up: async (queryInterface) => {
    await queryInterface.removeColumn("users", "name");
  },

  down: async (queryInterface, Sequelize) => {
    await queryInterface.addColumn("users", "name", {
      type: Sequelize.STRING,
    });
  },
};
Changing Column Types
module.exports = {
  up: async (queryInterface, Sequelize) => {
    // For large tables, use multi-step approach

    // 1. Add new column
    await queryInterface.addColumn("users", "age_new", {
      type: Sequelize.INTEGER,
    });

    // 2. Copy and transform data
    await queryInterface.sequelize.query(`
      UPDATE users
      SET age_new = CAST(age AS INTEGER)
      WHERE age IS NOT NULL
    `);

    // 3. Drop old column
    await queryInterface.removeColumn("users", "age");

    // 4. Rename new column
    await queryInterface.renameColumn("users", "age_new", "age");
  },

  down: async (queryInterface, Sequelize) => {
    await queryInterface.changeColumn("users", "age", {
      type: Sequelize.STRING,
    });
  },
};

Data Transformations

Complex Data Migration
module.exports = {
  up: async (queryInterface, Sequelize) => {
    // Get all records
    const [users] = await queryInterface.sequelize.query(
      "SELECT id, address_string FROM users",
    );

    // Transform each record
    for (const user of users) {
      const addressParts = user.address_string.split(",");

      await queryInterface.sequelize.query(
        `UPDATE users
         SET street = :street,
             city = :city,
             state = :state
         WHERE id = :id`,
        {
          replacements: {
            id: user.id,
            street: addressParts[0]?.trim(),
            city: addressParts[1]?.trim(),
            state: addressParts[2]?.trim(),
          },
        },
      );
    }

    // Drop old column
    await queryInterface.removeColumn("users", "address_string");
  },

  down: async (queryInterface, Sequelize) => {
    // Reconstruct original column
    await queryInterface.addColumn("users", "address_string", {
      type: Sequelize.STRING,
    });

    await queryInterface.sequelize.query(`
      UPDATE users
      SET address_string = CONCAT(street, ', ', city, ', ', state)
    `);

    await queryInterface.removeColumn("users", "street");
    await queryInterface.removeColumn("users", "city");
    await queryInterface.removeColumn("users", "state");
  },
};

Rollback Strategies

Transaction-Based Migrations
module.exports = {
  up: async (queryInterface, Sequelize) => {
    const transaction = await queryInterface.sequelize.transaction();

    try {
      await queryInterface.addColumn(
        "users",
        "verified",
        { type: Sequelize.BOOLEAN, defaultValue: false },
        { transaction },
      );

      await queryInterface.sequelize.query(
        "UPDATE users SET verified = true WHERE email_verified_at IS NOT NULL",
        { transaction },
      );

      await transaction.commit();
    } catch (error) {
      await transaction.rollback();
      throw error;
    }
  },

  down: async (queryInterface) => {
    await queryInterface.removeColumn("users", "verified");
  },
};
Checkpoint-Based Rollback
module.exports = {
  up: async (queryInterface, Sequelize) => {
    // Create backup table
    await queryInterface.sequelize.query(
      "CREATE TABLE users_backup AS SELECT * FROM users",
    );

    try {
      // Perform migration
      await queryInterface.addColumn("users", "new_field", {
        type: Sequelize.STRING,
      });

      // Verify migration
      const [result] = await queryInterface.sequelize.query(
        "SELECT COUNT(*) as count FROM users WHERE new_field IS NULL",
      );

      if (result[0].count > 0) {
        throw new Error("Migration verification failed");
      }

      // Drop backup
      await queryInterface.dropTable("users_backup");
    } catch (error) {
      // Restore from backup
      await queryInterface.sequelize.query("DROP TABLE users");
      await queryInterface.sequelize.query(
        "CREATE TABLE users AS SELECT * FROM users_backup",
      );
      await queryInterface.dropTable("users_backup");
      throw error;
    }
  },
};

Additional patterns and templates

More detailed templates and worked examples live in references/details.md. Read that file for the full pattern library.

Files

Requirements and compatibility

Works with: Claude Code, Claude apps, OpenAI Codex, GitHub Copilot, Cursor, Gemini CLI, Kiro, OpenCode, Goose, Amp, Roo Code, JetBrains Junie, Factory Droid, Devin (ex-Windsurf), Mistral Vibe, OpenHands, Letta

“Works with” means the tool reads the open Agent Skills format; a skill written for one tool may use features others lack.

Needs: Needs Node.js

Security

No issues found by our static scan· No issues found

A static scan is not a guarantee. Skills are third-party content: review a skill before you let an agent use it.

Attribution and licence

Created by
Seth Hobson
Publisher
Seth Hobson (Community)
Source
wshobson/agents · plugins/framework-migration/skills/database-migration · commit 4bde316
Licence
MIT License (redistribution allowed)
  • LICENSE (added by AutoGineer from LICENSE)
  • ATTRIBUTION.md (written by AutoGineer)
Synced

AutoGineer is not affiliated with or endorsed by Seth Hobson or Seth Hobson.

Download ZIP

The ZIP holds the skill’s files, its licence files and an ATTRIBUTION.md. Download database-migration.zip