This article explains how GeneXus handles database schema changes during the build process in Azure DevOps, and how you can control or integrate those changes into your CI workflow.
In the building stage, GeneXus analyzes schema changes and generates:
- Database reorganization programs.
- A script with the corresponding SQL Statements.
You can package those reorganization programs using specific MSBuild Tasks, or copy the scripts to the project. The latter can also be automated by configuring which MSBuild Tasks to trigger after the building process is complete, and by configuring Build Events in the Knowledge Base.
Additionally, the Knowledge Base can be configured to block any changes that are not backward compatible. For example, if there is already a dedicated process responsible for handling database reorganizations, you can set the Keep GAM database updated property to False and the Reorganize server tables property to No. This ensures that the deployment process does not alter the database structure.
If you are using SQL Server 2019 database projects as a way to obtain dacpac files that hold your database model, you can use the CreateDatabase MSBuild Task to automatically generate the creation script of the database, and integrate the generated script with your SQL Server database project to obtain the dacpac during the CI process.
Features of Reorganizations