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Database Rules

Track database migrations and schema changes.

Rules in this Category

Rule Name Label Risk Level Description
migration migration 🔵 Info Any migration file modified
risky-migration risky-migration 🔴 High Destructive operations (DROP, TRUNCATE)
safe-migration safe-migration 🟢 Low Additive operations (CREATE, INSERT)
schema-change schema-change 🟡 Medium Schema modifications (ALTER, MODIFY)

migration

Detects any database migration file changes.

Detection

Matches files in migration directories:

  • migrations/
  • db/migrations/
  • database/migrations/

Example

enabled_rules: '["migration"]'

Changed Files: 

db/migrations/20240130_create_users.sql

Result: ✅ migration label applied

risky-migration

Flags destructive database operations.

Detection Patterns

Detects these SQL operations:

  • DROP TABLE
  • DROP COLUMN
  • TRUNCATE TABLE
  • ALTER TABLE ... DROP
  • DROP INDEX
  • DROP CONSTRAINT

Use Cases

  • 🚨 Require senior engineer review
  • 🚨 Extra testing before production
  • 🚨 Backup verification
  • 🚨 Rollback plan required

Example

db/migrations/20240130_drop_table.sql
-- Risky: drops entire table
DROP TABLE old_users;

Result: 🔴 risky-migration label applied

db/migrations/20240130_safe_drop.sql
-- Still flagged as risky
DROP TABLE IF EXISTS temp_table;

Result: 🔴 risky-migration label applied (still destructive)

Configuration

enabled_rules: '["migration", "risky-migration"]'

Require Manual Review

Use branch protection rules to require additional reviews when risky-migration is applied.

safe-migration

Identifies additive database operations.

Detection Patterns

  • CREATE TABLE
  • CREATE INDEX
  • INSERT INTO
  • ADD COLUMN
  • ADD CONSTRAINT

Use Cases

  • ✅ Fast-track safe migrations
  • ✅ Lower review requirements
  • ✅ Identify non-breaking changes

Example

db/migrations/20240130_add_column.sql
ALTER TABLE users
ADD COLUMN email_verified BOOLEAN DEFAULT FALSE;

Result: 🟢 safe-migration label applied

schema-change

Detects schema modifications.

Detection Patterns

  • ALTER TABLE
  • MODIFY COLUMN
  • RENAME COLUMN
  • CHANGE COLUMN

Example

db/migrations/20240130_modify_column.sql
ALTER TABLE users
MODIFY COLUMN email VARCHAR(500);

Result: 🟡 schema-change label applied

Combined Usage

enabled_rules: '[
  "migration",
  "risky-migration",
  "safe-migration",
  "schema-change"
]'

Outcome:

SQL Operation Labels Applied
CREATE TABLE users migration, safe-migration
DROP TABLE users migration, risky-migration
ALTER TABLE users MODIFY email migration, schema-change
INSERT INTO users ... migration, safe-migration

Workflow Integration

jobs:
  label:
    uses: workflow-kit/pr-auto-labeler/.github/workflows/pr-auto-labeler.yml@latest
    with:
      enabled_rules: '["risky-migration"]'

  require-dba-review:
    needs: label
    if: contains(github.event.pull_request.labels.*.name, 'risky-migration')
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    steps:
      - name: Request DBA Review
        run: echo "🚨 Risky migration detected - DBA review required"

Troubleshooting

Migration file not detected?

Check:

  1. File path includes migrations/ directory
  2. File is actually changed in the PR diff
  3. Enable debug mode to see file analysis

Comments in SQL triggering false positives?

The rules ignore SQL comments:

  • -- single line comments
  • /* block comments */

If you're seeing false positives, please report it.

Best Practices

Do's

✅ Always enable risky-migration for safety
✅ Combine with test-missing to ensure tests
✅ Use branch protection for risky migrations
✅ Document migration rollback procedures

Don'ts

❌ Don't skip review for risky-migration
❌ Don't run risky migrations in peak hours
❌ Don't forget database backups

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