db:schema:load vs db:migrate with capistrano

Question

I have a rails app that I\'m moving to another server and I figure I should use db:schema:load to create the mysql database because it\'s recommended. My problem is that I\'m u

Answer 1

That's a great answer from Andres Jaan Tack. I just wanted to add a few comments.

Firstly, here's an improved version of Andres' deploy:load_schema task which includes a warning, and more importantly uses bundle exec and RAILS_ENV to ensure that the environment is set up correctly:

namespace :deploy do
  desc 'Load DB schema - CAUTION: rewrites database!'
  task :load_schema, :roles => :app do
    run "cd #{current_path}; bundle exec rake db:schema:load RAILS_ENV=#{rails_env}"
  end
end

I have submitted a feature request to have deploy:load_schema implemented in Capistrano. In that request, I noted that the 'db:schema:load vs. db:migrate' debate has already been covered in the Capistrano discussion group, and there was some reluctance to switch the deploy:cold task to using db:schema:load over db:migrate, since if run unintentionally, the former nukes the entire database whereas the latter would probably complain and bail harmlessly. Nevertheless db:schema:load is technically the better approach, so if the risk of accidental data loss could be mitigated, it would be worth switching.