Prisma•4mo ago

Best practices for updating column type when there are existing records

I'm seeking some guidance on updating a column type when there are existing records in my database. Here's the scenario: Original Model:

model User {
  id     String  @id @default(uuid())
  posts  String[]
}

model User {
  id     String  @id @default(uuid())
  posts  String[]
}

New Model:

model User {
  id     String  @id @default(uuid())
  posts  Int
}

model User {
  id     String  @id @default(uuid())
  posts  Int
}

As you can see, I'm transitioning the posts field from an array of strings to a single integer. However, I'm unsure about the best approach for handling this change when there is existing records with the String[] type. If anyone has links, videos or documentation to share on this, would be greatly appreciated.

4 Replies

alessandroooo•4mo ago

you'd have to push the schema everytime

alessandroooo•4mo ago

https://www.prisma.io/docs/orm/prisma-schema/data-model/relations

Relations (Reference) | Prisma Documentation

A relation is a connection between two models in the Prisma schema. This page explains how you can define one-to-one, one-to-many and many-to-many relations in Prisma.

alessandroooo•4mo ago

this is what you want to do, relations @goofygoober

goofygoober•4mo ago

no that's not what i'm looking for @alessandroooo I'm looking the change the field posts to have a type of Int from type String[] But my query is around, what are the best practices when there are existing records/entries in the database for posts with the old String[] type

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Best practices for updating column type when there are existing records