Agent skill

database-patterns

Database design and migration patterns for Alembic migrations, schema design (SQL/NoSQL), and database versioning. Use when creating migrations, designing schemas, normalizing data, managing database versions, or handling schema drift.

Stars 143
Forks 15

Install this agent skill to your Project

npx add-skill https://github.com/yonatangross/orchestkit/tree/main/src/skills/database-patterns

Metadata

Additional technical details for this skill

category
document-asset-creation

SKILL.md

Database Patterns

Comprehensive patterns for database migrations, schema design, and version management. Each category has individual rule files in rules/ loaded on-demand.

Quick Reference

Category Rules Impact When to Use
Alembic Migrations 3 CRITICAL Autogenerate, data migrations, branch management
Schema Design 3 HIGH Normalization, indexing strategies, NoSQL patterns
Versioning 3 HIGH Changelogs, rollback plans, schema drift detection
Zero-Downtime Migration 2 CRITICAL Expand-contract, pgroll, rollback monitoring

| Database Selection | 1 | HIGH | Choosing the right database, PostgreSQL vs MongoDB, cost analysis |

Total: 12 rules across 5 categories

Quick Start

python
# Alembic: Auto-generate migration from model changes
# alembic revision --autogenerate -m "add user preferences"

def upgrade() -> None:
    op.add_column('users', sa.Column('org_id', UUID(as_uuid=True), nullable=True))
    op.execute("UPDATE users SET org_id = 'default-org-uuid' WHERE org_id IS NULL")

def downgrade() -> None:
    op.drop_column('users', 'org_id')
sql
-- Schema: Normalization to 3NF with proper indexing
CREATE TABLE orders (
    id UUID PRIMARY KEY DEFAULT gen_random_uuid(),
    customer_id UUID NOT NULL REFERENCES customers(id),
    created_at TIMESTAMPTZ NOT NULL DEFAULT NOW()
);
CREATE INDEX idx_orders_customer_id ON orders(customer_id);

Alembic Migrations

Migration management with Alembic for SQLAlchemy 2.0 async applications.

Rule File Key Pattern
Autogenerate ${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/rules/alembic-autogenerate.md Auto-generate from models, async env.py, review workflow
Data Migration ${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/rules/alembic-data-migration.md Batch backfill, two-phase NOT NULL, zero-downtime
Branching ${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/rules/alembic-branching.md Feature branches, merge migrations, conflict resolution

Schema Design

SQL and NoSQL schema design with normalization, indexing, and constraint patterns.

Rule File Key Pattern
Normalization ${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/rules/schema-normalization.md 1NF-3NF, when to denormalize, JSON vs normalized
Indexing ${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/rules/schema-indexing.md B-tree, GIN, HNSW, partial/covering indexes
NoSQL Patterns ${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/rules/schema-nosql.md Embed vs reference, document design, sharding

Versioning

Database version control and change management across environments.

Rule File Key Pattern
Changelog ${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/rules/versioning-changelog.md Schema version table, semantic versioning, audit trails
Rollback ${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/rules/versioning-rollback.md Rollback testing, destructive rollback docs, CI verification
Drift Detection ${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/rules/versioning-drift.md Environment sync, checksum verification, migration locks

Database Selection

Decision frameworks for choosing the right database. Default: PostgreSQL.

Rule File Key Pattern
Selection Guide ${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/rules/db-selection.md PostgreSQL-first, tier-based matrix, anti-patterns

Key Decisions

Decision Recommendation Rationale
Async dialect postgresql+asyncpg Native async support for SQLAlchemy 2.0
NOT NULL column Two-phase: nullable first, then alter Avoids locking, backward compatible
Large table index CREATE INDEX CONCURRENTLY Zero-downtime, no table locks
Normalization target 3NF for OLTP Reduces redundancy while maintaining query performance
Primary key strategy UUID for distributed, INT for single-DB Context-appropriate key generation
Soft deletes deleted_at timestamp column Preserves audit trail, enables recovery
Migration granularity One logical change per file Easier rollback and debugging
Production deployment Generate SQL, review, then apply Never auto-run in production

Anti-Patterns (FORBIDDEN)

python
# NEVER: Add NOT NULL without default or two-phase approach
op.add_column('users', sa.Column('org_id', UUID, nullable=False))  # LOCKS TABLE!

# NEVER: Use blocking index creation on large tables
op.create_index('idx_large', 'big_table', ['col'])  # Use CONCURRENTLY

# NEVER: Skip downgrade implementation
def downgrade():
    pass  # WRONG - implement proper rollback

# NEVER: Modify migration after deployment - create new migration instead

# NEVER: Run migrations automatically in production
# Use: alembic upgrade head --sql > review.sql

# NEVER: Run CONCURRENTLY inside transaction
op.execute("BEGIN; CREATE INDEX CONCURRENTLY ...; COMMIT;")  # FAILS

# NEVER: Delete migration history
command.stamp(alembic_config, "head")  # Loses history

# NEVER: Skip environments (Always: local -> CI -> staging -> production)

Detailed Documentation

Resource Description
${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/references/ Advanced patterns: Alembic, normalization, migration, audit, environment, versioning
${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/checklists/ Migration deployment and schema design checklists
${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/examples/ Complete migration examples, schema examples
${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/scripts/ Migration templates, model change detector

Zero-Downtime Migration

Safe database schema changes without downtime using expand-contract pattern and online schema changes.

Rule File Key Pattern
Expand-Contract ${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/rules/migration-zero-downtime.md Expand phase, backfill, contract phase, pgroll automation
Rollback & Monitoring ${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/rules/migration-rollback.md pgroll rollback, lock monitoring, replication lag, backfill progress

Related Skills

  • sqlalchemy-2-async - Async SQLAlchemy session patterns
  • ork:testing-integration - Integration testing patterns including migration testing
  • caching - Cache layer design to complement database performance
  • ork:performance - Performance optimization patterns

Expand your agent's capabilities with these related and highly-rated skills.

yonatangross/orchestkit

expect

Diff-aware AI browser testing — analyzes git changes, generates targeted test plans, and executes them via agent-browser. Reads git diff to determine what changed, maps changes to affected pages via route map, generates a test plan scoped to the diff, and runs it with pass/fail reporting. Use when testing UI changes, verifying PRs before merge, running regression checks on changed components, or validating that recent code changes don't break the user-facing experience.

143 15
Explore
yonatangross/orchestkit

github-operations

GitHub CLI operations for issues, PRs, milestones, and Projects v2. Covers gh commands, REST API patterns, and automation scripts. Use when managing GitHub issues, PRs, milestones, or Projects with gh.

143 15
Explore
yonatangross/orchestkit

chain-patterns

Chain patterns for CC 2.1.71 pipelines — MCP detection, handoff files, checkpoint-resume, worktree agents, CronCreate monitoring. Use when building multi-phase pipeline skills. Loaded via skills: field by pipeline skills (fix-issue, implement, brainstorm, verify). Not user-invocable.

143 15
Explore
yonatangross/orchestkit

storybook-mcp-integration

Storybook MCP server integration for component-aware AI development. Covers 6 tools across 3 toolsets (dev, docs, testing): component discovery via list-all-documentation/get-documentation, story previews via preview-stories, and automated testing via run-story-tests. Use when generating components that should reuse existing Storybook components, running component tests via MCP, or previewing stories in chat.

143 15
Explore
yonatangross/orchestkit

component-search

Search 21st.dev component registry for production-ready React components. Finds components by natural language description, filters by framework and style system, returns ranked results with install instructions. Use when looking for UI components, finding alternatives to existing components, or sourcing design system building blocks.

143 15
Explore
yonatangross/orchestkit

ai-ui-generation

AI-assisted UI generation patterns for json-render, v0, Bolt, and Cursor workflows. Covers prompt engineering for component generation, review checklists for AI-generated code, design token injection, refactoring for design system conformance, and CI gates for quality assurance. Use when generating UI components with AI tools, rendering multi-surface MCP visual output, reviewing AI-generated code, or integrating AI output into design systems.

143 15
Explore

Didn't find tool you were looking for?

Be as detailed as possible for better results