Databases Intermediate

What is Migration?

A version-controlled change to a database schema that can be applied and reversed systematically.

Database migrations track schema changes over time, similar to version control for code. Each migration defines an "up" (apply) and "down" (revert) operation, such as creating tables, adding columns, or modifying constraints.

Migrations ensure all environments (development, staging, production) have identical database schemas. They are run in sequence and tracked to prevent re-application. Tools include Flyway, Liquibase, Alembic, and framework-specific migration systems.

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A column that creates a link between two tables by referencing the primary key of another table.

ETL (Extract, Transform, Load)

A data pipeline process that extracts data from sources, transforms it into a suitable format, and loads it into a destination system.

A pattern where records are marked as deleted with a flag or timestamp rather than being physically removed from the database.

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A horizontal scaling strategy that distributes data across multiple database servers based on a partition key.

PostgreSQL's binary JSON data type that stores JSON documents with indexing, querying, and manipulation capabilities.

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