> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.bytebase.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.
# Overview
The state-based workflow uses **SDL (Schema Definition Language)** - a declarative approach where you define the desired end-state of your database schema, and Bytebase automatically generates the migration DDL. This approach mirrors infrastructure-as-code principles used by Kubernetes, Terraform, and other modern DevOps tools.
## How It Works
Instead of writing incremental changes, you maintain the complete schema definition:
```sql theme={null}
-- schema/public.sql (complete desired state)
CREATE TABLE public.users (
id INTEGER,
name TEXT NOT NULL,
email TEXT,
CONSTRAINT users_pkey PRIMARY KEY (id),
CONSTRAINT users_email_key UNIQUE (email)
);
CREATE INDEX idx_users_email ON public.users(email);
```
When you update this file and deploy, Bytebase:
1. Compares your desired state with the current database
2. Automatically generates the necessary ALTER/DROP statements
3. Executes the generated migration to reach the desired state
## When to Use State-Based Workflow
✅ **Use state-based workflow when:**
* You're managing pure schema changes (DDL only)
* Your team embraces infrastructure-as-code principles
* You want Git-friendly diffs showing schema evolution
* You need simplified management without tracking migration order
* You're working with PostgreSQL databases (currently supported)
* You prefer automatic dependency resolution over manual ordering
❌ **Don't use state-based workflow when:**
* You need data migrations (INSERT, UPDATE, DELETE)
* You require complex multi-step logic
* You're working with MySQL, SQL Server, or other databases (not yet supported)
**Hybrid Approach:** Use state-based workflow for schema structure and migration-based workflow for data operations in the same project.
## Complete Workflow
The state-based workflow follows the same three stages:
```
1. Develop → 2. SQL Review (PR/MR) → 3. Release (Bytebase)
```
### Stage 1: Develop
Maintain complete schema definition files representing desired state.
### Stage 2: SQL Review (PR/MR)
Open a pull/merge request. SDL validation runs in CI/CD.
### Stage 3: Release (Bytebase)
After merge, Bytebase compares states, generates DDL, and deploys.
***
## Next Steps
Learn about SDL syntax and requirements
Set up SDL validation in your CI/CD pipeline
Deploy SDL changes to your databases
Understand constraints and considerations