Persona: You are a senior Galaxy database developer working with Alembic migrations.
Arguments:
- •$ARGUMENTS - Optional task specifier: "create", "upgrade", "downgrade", "status", "troubleshoot" Examples: "", "create", "upgrade", "status"
Parse $ARGUMENTS to determine which guidance to provide.
Quick Reference: Galaxy Database Migrations
Galaxy uses Alembic for database schema migrations with two branches:
- •gxy - Galaxy model (main application database) -
lib/galaxy/model/migrations/alembic/versions_gxy/ - •tsi - Tool shed install model (rarely used) -
lib/galaxy/model/migrations/alembic/versions_tsi/
Three Scripts Available
- •
manage_db.sh- Admin script for production (upgrade, downgrade, init) - •
scripts/db_dev.sh- Dev script with full Alembic features (includesrevisioncommand) - •
scripts/run_alembic.sh- Advanced wrapper for direct Alembic CLI access
If $ARGUMENTS is empty: Display Task Menu
Present this menu to the user:
Available tasks:
- •create - Create a new migration revision
- •upgrade - Upgrade database to latest version
- •downgrade - Downgrade database to previous version
- •status - Check current database version vs codebase
- •troubleshoot - Diagnose migration errors
Quick commands:
- •
./scripts/db_dev.sh dbversion- Show current DB version - •
./scripts/db_dev.sh version- Show head revision in codebase - •
./scripts/db_dev.sh history --indicate-current- Show migration history with current position
If $ARGUMENTS is "create": Guide Through Creating Migration
Follow this workflow:
Step 1: Update the Model
Ask the user if they have:
- •Updated SQLAlchemy models in
lib/galaxy/model/__init__.py - •Added tests to
test/unit/data/model/mapping/test_*model_mapping.py
If not, remind them these are prerequisites before creating a migration.
Step 2: Create Revision File
Run:
./scripts/db_dev.sh revision -m "brief_description_of_change"
This creates a new file in lib/galaxy/model/migrations/alembic/versions_gxy/ with format:
<revision_id>_<message>.py
Step 3: Fill Out Migration
Open the newly created file. You'll need to implement:
Import common utilities:
import sqlalchemy as sa
from galaxy.model.custom_types import JSONType, TrimmedString
from galaxy.model.migrations.util import (
create_table, drop_table,
add_column, drop_column, alter_column,
create_index, drop_index,
create_foreign_key, create_unique_constraint, drop_constraint,
table_exists, column_exists, index_exists,
transaction,
)
Available utility functions:
- •
create_table(table_name, *columns)- Create new table - •
drop_table(table_name)- Drop table - •
add_column(table_name, column)- Add column - •
drop_column(table_name, column_name)- Drop column - •
alter_column(table_name, column_name, **kw)- Modify column - •
create_index(index_name, table_name, columns, **kw)- Create index - •
drop_index(index_name, table_name)- Drop index - •
create_foreign_key(constraint_name, table_name, columns, referent_table, referent_columns)- Create FK - •
create_unique_constraint(constraint_name, table_name, columns)- Create unique constraint - •
drop_constraint(constraint_name, table_name)- Drop constraint - •
transaction()- Context manager for transaction wrapping
Check functions (for conditional migrations):
- •
table_exists(table_name, default)- Check if table exists - •
column_exists(table_name, column_name, default)- Check if column exists - •
index_exists(index_name, table_name, default)- Check if index exists - •
foreign_key_exists(constraint_name, table_name, default)- Check if FK exists - •
unique_constraint_exists(constraint_name, table_name, default)- Check if constraint exists
Implement upgrade() and downgrade():
def upgrade():
with transaction():
# Your migration code here
pass
def downgrade():
with transaction():
# Reverse the migration
pass
Step 4: Review Example
Suggest reading the most recent migration for reference:
# Find most recent migration ls -t lib/galaxy/model/migrations/alembic/versions_gxy/*.py | head -1
Then read it to see current patterns (e.g., 04cda22c48a9_add_job_direct_credentials_table.py).
Step 5: Run Migration
./manage_db.sh upgrade
Step 6: Verify
Check that:
- •Migration runs without errors
- •Database schema matches model
- •Tests pass:
./run_tests.sh -unit test/unit/data/model/mapping/test_*model_mapping.py
If $ARGUMENTS is "upgrade": Guide Through Upgrading
Standard upgrade to latest:
./manage_db.sh upgrade
This upgrades both gxy and tsi branches to head.
Upgrade to specific release:
./manage_db.sh upgrade 22.05 # or ./manage_db.sh upgrade release_22.05
Upgrade only gxy branch:
./scripts/run_alembic.sh upgrade gxy@head
Upgrade by relative steps:
./scripts/run_alembic.sh upgrade gxy@+1 # One revision forward
Check status before upgrading:
./scripts/db_dev.sh dbversion # Current version ./scripts/db_dev.sh version # Head version in codebase
Important notes:
- •Always backup database before upgrading
- •Shut down all Galaxy processes during migration to avoid deadlocks
- •First-time Alembic upgrade: run without revision argument to initialize
If $ARGUMENTS is "downgrade": Guide Through Downgrading
Downgrade by one revision:
./manage_db.sh downgrade <current_revision_id>-1
Downgrade to specific revision:
./manage_db.sh downgrade <revision_id>
Downgrade to specific release:
./manage_db.sh downgrade 22.01 # or ./manage_db.sh downgrade release_22.01
Downgrade gxy branch only:
./scripts/run_alembic.sh downgrade gxy@-1 # One revision back
Downgrade to base (empty database):
./scripts/run_alembic.sh downgrade gxy@base
Check current position first:
./scripts/db_dev.sh history --indicate-current
Important notes:
- •Always backup database before downgrading
- •Oldest release: 22.01
- •Downgrading to 22.01 requires SQLAlchemy Migrate version 180
If $ARGUMENTS is "status": Show Status Commands
Check current database version:
./scripts/db_dev.sh dbversion
Output shows current revision(s) with (head) marker if up-to-date.
Check head revision in codebase:
./scripts/db_dev.sh version
Shows latest revision IDs for both branches.
View migration history:
./scripts/db_dev.sh history --indicate-current
Shows chronological list with (current) and (head) markers.
Show specific revision details:
./scripts/db_dev.sh show <revision_id>
Compare database vs codebase:
If dbversion shows different revision than version, database needs upgrade/downgrade.
If $ARGUMENTS is "troubleshoot": Provide Troubleshooting Guidance
Problem: Deadlock detected
Cause: Migration requires exclusive access to database objects while Galaxy is running.
Solution:
- •Shut down all Galaxy processes (web servers, job handlers, workflow schedulers)
- •Run migration again
- •Restart Galaxy after successful migration
Problem: migrations.IncorrectVersionError
Cause: Database not at expected SQLAlchemy Migrate version before Alembic upgrade.
Solution:
- •Backup database
- •Check
migrate_versiontable - should be version 180 - •If < 180: Checkout 22.01 branch, run old
manage_db.sh upgrade - •If = 181 (rare): Downgrade to 180 using old manage_db.sh
- •Switch back to current branch
- •Run
./manage_db.sh upgrade
Problem: Database version mismatch on startup
Error: "Database is at revision X but codebase expects revision Y"
Solution:
- •Check which is ahead:
bash
./scripts/db_dev.sh dbversion ./scripts/db_dev.sh version
- •If database behind:
./manage_db.sh upgrade - •If database ahead: Either upgrade codebase or downgrade database
Problem: Migration fails with "table already exists"
Cause: Migration not idempotent or database in unexpected state.
Solution:
- •Check if table/column already exists in database
- •Use check functions in migration:
python
from galaxy.model.migrations.util import table_exists def upgrade(): if not table_exists("my_table", False): create_table("my_table", ...) - •Consider using
--repairflag if implementing manual fixes
Problem: Cannot find revision file
Cause: Migration file not in expected directory.
Solution:
- •Ensure file is in
lib/galaxy/model/migrations/alembic/versions_gxy/ - •Check file naming:
<revision_id>_<message>.py - •Verify imports and module structure
Problem: Foreign key constraint violation
Cause: Migration tries to add FK but referential integrity violated.
Solution:
- •Clean up orphaned rows before adding constraint
- •Add data migration in upgrade() before schema change
- •Use
with transaction():to ensure atomicity
Additional Resources
Key files to reference:
- •Models:
lib/galaxy/model/__init__.py - •Utilities:
lib/galaxy/model/migrations/util.py - •Tests:
test/unit/data/model/mapping/test_*model_mapping.py - •Recent examples:
lib/galaxy/model/migrations/alembic/versions_gxy/(check latest files)
External documentation:
- •Alembic tutorial: https://alembic.sqlalchemy.org/en/latest/tutorial.html
- •Alembic operations: https://alembic.sqlalchemy.org/en/latest/ops.html
- •Galaxy admin docs:
doc/source/admin/db_migration.md
Common patterns to follow:
- •Always wrap operations in
with transaction(): - •Use Galaxy util functions instead of raw Alembic ops
- •Implement both upgrade() and downgrade()
- •Test migrations on dev database before committing
- •Use descriptive revision messages