name	database-migration
description	Master database schema and data migrations across ORMs (Sequelize, TypeORM, Prisma), including rollback strategies and zero-downtime deployments.
risk	unknown
source	community
date_added	2026-02-27

Database Migration

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

Do not use this skill when

The task is unrelated to database migration
You need a different domain or tool outside this scope

Instructions

Clarify goals, constraints, and required inputs.
Apply relevant best practices and validate outcomes.
Provide actionable steps and verification.
If detailed examples are required, open resources/implementation-playbook.md.

Use this skill when

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;
    }
  }
};

Zero-Downtime Migrations

Blue-Green Deployment Strategy

// Phase 1: Make changes backward compatible
module.exports = {
  up: async (queryInterface, Sequelize) => {
    // Add new column (both old and new code can work)
    await queryInterface.addColumn('users', 'email_new', {
      type: Sequelize.STRING
    });
  }
};

// Phase 2: Deploy code that writes to both columns

// Phase 3: Backfill data
module.exports = {
  up: async (queryInterface) => {
    await queryInterface.sequelize.query(`
      UPDATE users
      SET email_new = email
      WHERE email_new IS NULL
    `);
  }
};

// Phase 4: Deploy code that reads from new column

// Phase 5: Remove old column
module.exports = {
  up: async (queryInterface) => {
    await queryInterface.removeColumn('users', 'email');
  }
};

Cross-Database Migrations

PostgreSQL to MySQL

// Handle differences
module.exports = {
  up: async (queryInterface, Sequelize) => {
    const dialectName = queryInterface.sequelize.getDialect();

    if (dialectName === 'mysql') {
      await queryInterface.createTable('users', {
        id: {
          type: Sequelize.INTEGER,
          primaryKey: true,
          autoIncrement: true
        },
        data: {
          type: Sequelize.JSON  // MySQL JSON type
        }
      });
    } else if (dialectName === 'postgres') {
      await queryInterface.createTable('users', {
        id: {
          type: Sequelize.INTEGER,
          primaryKey: true,
          autoIncrement: true
        },
        data: {
          type: Sequelize.JSONB  // PostgreSQL JSONB type
        }
      });
    }
  }
};

Resources

references/orm-switching.md: ORM migration guides
references/schema-migration.md: Schema transformation patterns
references/data-transformation.md: Data migration scripts
references/rollback-strategies.md: Rollback procedures
assets/schema-migration-template.sql: SQL migration templates
assets/data-migration-script.py: Data migration utilities
scripts/test-migration.sh: Migration testing script

Best Practices

Always Provide Rollback: Every up() needs a down()
Test Migrations: Test on staging first
Use Transactions: Atomic migrations when possible
Backup First: Always backup before migration
Small Changes: Break into small, incremental steps
Monitor: Watch for errors during deployment
Document: Explain why and how
Idempotent: Migrations should be rerunnable

Common Pitfalls

Not testing rollback procedures
Making breaking changes without downtime strategy
Forgetting to handle NULL values
Not considering index performance
Ignoring foreign key constraints
Migrating too much data at once

Limitations

Use this skill only when the task clearly matches the scope described above.
Do not treat the output as a substitute for environment-specific validation, testing, or expert review.
Stop and ask for clarification if required inputs, permissions, safety boundaries, or success criteria are missing.