Schema snapshots
Save a schema to a file, compare a live database against it, and keep a reference of known-good state.
A snapshot is the complete structure of a schema written to a single file. It gives you a comparison source that does not need a live connection, which makes several otherwise awkward jobs straightforward.
What snapshots are good for
- A known-good baseline
- Snapshot production immediately after a successful release. Comparing against it later shows exactly what has drifted since.
- Reviewing a window of change
- Compare two snapshots taken at different times to see what changed in an environment between them, without touching either database.
- Working without access
- Ask a colleague or customer for a snapshot when you cannot reach their database yourself. It contains structure only.
- Reviewing before a merge
- Snapshot the schema a feature branch produces and compare it against staging before the branch is merged.