[Koha-devel] How about a different way of handling database updates

[Frédéric DEMIANS]

> As release maintainer for 3.0 I **had to*** create and arrange db
> updates in a different order than master branch. Knowing wich db version
> you were on 3.00.01 and not 3.01 was really important, even though its
> management could have been improved. (Things that would add some tables
> and maybe break features should never have mixed up with stable code.)
> It ended up to be VERY tricky and dangerous to only cherry pick bug
> fixes unless master code is really close to maintenance branch.
> This lead to duplication of code. This would have been avoided if
> updatedatabase30.pl replaced updatedatabase.pl. But then, I would have
> had to cope with conflict at each cherry pick even if the commit would
> not update updatedatabase.pl.
>
> Not to mention all the db changes that local users may want to do and 
> track.

As release manager, having dealt with db updates coordinated with code 
updates, you're obviously in position to design an functional updates 
system for Koha. If you could elaborate various scenario describing 
step-by-step issues you encountered, it may help to design a new system 
that decrease complexity rather than increase it.

-- 
Frédéric DEMIANS
http://www.tamil.fr/u/fdemians.html