Tutorial: First Schema Change in 5 Minutes

Database CI/CD

Bytebase Database CI/CD provides a complete platform for managing database changes throughout the development lifecycle. By eliminating direct database access and enforcing structured processes, it ensures every change is safe, reviewed, and auditable.

The Database CI/CD Lifecycle

Every database change in Bytebase follows a structured lifecycle, regardless of which workflow you choose:

1. Plan Change

Define what needs to change—whether it’s a schema migration (DDL) or data modification (DML). Changes can target:
  • A single database
  • Multiple selected databases
  • A Database Group (databases sharing the same schema)

2. Automatic SQL Review

Built-in SQL advisor validates every change before execution using configurable Review Policies:
  • Syntax validation: Catch SQL errors before deployment
  • Schema rules: Naming conventions, data types, and structure standards
  • Performance checks: Missing indexes, inefficient queries, table scans
  • Security policies: Prevent unsafe operations and data exposure
  • Backward compatibility: Ensure changes won’t break existing applications
  • Best practices: Enforce organizational and industry standards
You can configure SQL Review Policies at the environment or project level to enforce your team’s specific standards and requirements.

3. Approval Process

Flexible approval mechanisms based on your workflow choice:
  • UI-Driven: Built-in multi-level approval within Bytebase
  • GitOps:
    • Leverage pull request reviews in GitHub/GitLab/Bitbucket
    • Integrate with external systems like ServiceNow, Jira, or custom approval workflows
  • Risk-based routing: Automatic approval for low-risk dev changes, mandatory reviews for production

4. Multi-Environment Rollout Pipeline

Changes progress through your environments in a controlled pipeline:
  • Stage-by-stage promotion: Dev → Test → Staging → Production
  • Configurable deployment paths: Define custom environment chains
  • Database Groups per stage: Different database sets for each environment
  • Gated progression: Manual or automatic promotion between stages
  • Environment-specific policies: Different review rules per stage
Within each stage, deployments execute with precision:
  • Parallel execution: Deploy across Database Groups simultaneously
  • Sequential ordering: Respect dependencies between databases
  • Real-time monitoring: Track progress and view execution logs
  • Automatic retry: Handle transient failures gracefully

5. Rollback Capabilities

Instant recovery when things go wrong:
  • DML Instant Rollback: One-click recovery for UPDATE/DELETE operations
  • Schema Rollback: Generate reverse migration scripts for DDL changes
  • Automatic backup before risky DML operations

6. Schema Monitoring

Detect schema drift when changes occur outside the CI/CD pipeline, ensuring your databases remain in their expected state.

Batch Changes with Database Groups

Deploy changes at scale using Database Groups—logical collections of databases that share the same schema:
  • Multi-tenant SaaS: Update all tenant databases simultaneously
  • Geographic distribution: Roll out to regional databases in controlled waves
  • Environment management: Group databases by dev/staging/prod for systematic promotion
Database Groups enable you to manage 10 or 10,000 databases with the same effort.

Choose Your Workflow

Bytebase offers two workflows to integrate with your existing processes:

UI-Driven Workflow

Visual, self-contained workflow managed entirely through Bytebase console

GitOps Workflow

Code-first approach integrated with your Git provider (GitHub, GitLab, Bitbucket) and CI/CD pipeline

Which Workflow Should You Choose?

Choose UI-Driven Workflow If:

You prefer visual interfaces — Point-and-click change management with immediate feedback You need centralized control — All database changes managed in one dedicated platform Multiple teams involved — DBAs, security, and compliance teams need visibility and approval rights No existing CI/CD for databases — Get started quickly without setting up additional infrastructure Ad-hoc changes are common — Hotfixes and emergency changes need quick turnaround Best for: Teams establishing database DevOps practices, organizations with dedicated DBAs, enterprises requiring multi-level approvals Learn more about UI-Driven Workflow →

Choose GitOps Workflow If:

Database schema = Application code — Migration scripts live alongside your application Existing CI/CD pipelines — Database changes follow your established deployment process Developer-centric culture — Engineers own the full stack including database Git is your source of truth — All changes tracked through version control Automation first — Minimize manual intervention in deployments Best for: DevOps teams, microservices architectures, organizations practicing Infrastructure-as-Code Learn more about GitOps Workflow →

Can I Use Both?

Yes! Many teams use both workflows:
  • GitOps for routine application deployments
  • UI-Driven for complex migrations, hotfixes, or sensitive production changes
  • Different workflows for different teams or projects
Both workflows share the same underlying CI/CD lifecycle, ensuring consistency regardless of how changes are initiated.