Skip to main content

Database Migrations

Guide to managing database migrations in Netasampark.

Overview​

Netasampark uses Laravel's migration system for database version control and schema management.

Creating Migrations​

Generate Migration​

php artisan make:migration create_voters_table
php artisan make:migration add_phone_to_users_table
php artisan make:migration create_campaign_voters_table

Migration Structure​

<?php

use Illuminate\Database\Migrations\Migration;
use Illuminate\Database\Schema\Blueprint;
use Illuminate\Support\Facades\Schema;

return new class extends Migration
{
    public function up()
    {
        Schema::create('voters', function (Blueprint $table) {
            $table->id();
            $table->string('name');
            $table->string('phone', 20);
            $table->string('email')->nullable();
            $table->text('address')->nullable();
            $table->string('constituency')->nullable();
            $table->timestamps();
            
            $table->index('phone');
            $table->index('constituency');
        });
    }

    public function down()
    {
        Schema::dropIfExists('voters');
    }
};

Running Migrations​

Run All Migrations​

php artisan migrate

Run with Force (Production)​

php artisan migrate --force

Rollback Last Migration​

php artisan migrate:rollback

Rollback All Migrations​

php artisan migrate:reset

Rollback and Re-run​

php artisan migrate:refresh

Fresh Migration (Drop All)​

php artisan migrate:fresh

Migration Best Practices​

1. Always Include Down Method​

public function down()
{
    Schema::dropIfExists('table_name');
}

2. Use Transactions​

DB::transaction(function () {
    Schema::create('table1', function (Blueprint $table) {
        // ...
    });
    
    Schema::create('table2', function (Blueprint $table) {
        // ...
    });
});

3. Add Indexes for Performance​

$table->index('email');
$table->index(['status', 'created_at']);

4. Use Foreign Keys​

$table->foreign('user_id')
      ->references('id')
      ->on('users')
      ->onDelete('cascade');

Common Migration Patterns​

Adding Columns​

Schema::table('users', function (Blueprint $table) {
    $table->string('phone')->nullable()->after('email');
    $table->boolean('is_verified')->default(false);
});

Modifying Columns​

Schema::table('users', function (Blueprint $table) {
    $table->string('email', 255)->change();
});

Dropping Columns​

Schema::table('users', function (Blueprint $table) {
    $table->dropColumn('old_field');
});

Renaming Columns​

Schema::table('users', function (Blueprint $table) {
    $table->renameColumn('old_name', 'new_name');
});

Data Migrations​

Seeding Data​

public function up()
{
    Schema::create('roles', function (Blueprint $table) {
        // ...
    });
    
    DB::table('roles')->insert([
        ['name' => 'admin'],
        ['name' => 'politician'],
        ['name' => 'team_member'],
    ]);
}

Updating Data​

public function up()
{
    DB::table('users')
        ->whereNull('email_verified_at')
        ->update(['email_verified_at' => now()]);
}

Production Migrations​

Pre-Migration Checklist​

  1. Backup database
  2. Test on staging
  3. Review migration SQL
  4. Plan rollback strategy
  5. Schedule maintenance window

Running in Production​

# Backup first
mysqldump -u user -p database > backup.sql

# Run migration
php artisan migrate --force

# Verify
php artisan migrate:status

Troubleshooting​

Migration Failed​

# Check status
php artisan migrate:status

# Rollback
php artisan migrate:rollback

# Fix migration file
# Re-run
php artisan migrate

Foreign Key Errors​

// Disable foreign key checks temporarily
Schema::disableForeignKeyConstraints();
// Run migration
Schema::enableForeignKeyConstraints();

Next Steps​