Talk:MediaWiki database policy

Add a requirement to use abstract schema?
We've now moved all production code over to use abstract schema. Can we add this as an explicit requirement to this document? Jdforrester (WMF) (talk) 19:17, 13 July 2022 (UTC)


 * Potential text, as a bullet at the start of the "Schema changes" section:
 * "All tables in MediaWiki core, and Wikimedia-deployed and MediaWiki-bundled extensions must be implemented using the abstract schema system, and new schema changes to them must be generated automatically."
 * Jdforrester (WMF) (talk) 13:00, 15 July 2022 (UTC)


 * +1 on my side. ASarabadani (WMF) (talk) 13:50, 14 July 2022 (UTC)
 * +1 sounds good to me. Could you add some draft text for people to consider here? KHarlan (WMF) (talk) 12:38, 15 July 2022 (UTC)
 * @KHarlan (WMF) ✅. Jdforrester (WMF) (talk) 13:01, 15 July 2022 (UTC)
 * +1 from me; suggest making the text …and new schema changes generated automatically, since AFAIK there’s no intention to retroactively generate old schema changes. (With the newish policy to only support upgrades from up to two LTSes ago, old schema changes are eventually removed anyways.) Lucas Werkmeister (WMDE) (talk) 13:07, 15 July 2022 (UTC)
 * Sure, adjusted. I didn't think that was necessary, but if it's clearer. :-) Jdforrester (WMF) (talk) 13:16, 15 July 2022 (UTC)
 * +1, SGTM. Thanks! Martin Urbanec (talk) 13:21, 15 July 2022 (UTC)
 * Yes please! &mdash; Mainframe98 talk 13:56, 15 July 2022 (UTC)
 * +1 also from me, maybe include "bundled extensions" in the sentence. If a extension from the list of extensions awaiting review is close to get deployed, it should be revisited for the new requierement (but the list looks old, it seems no extension is in that state) Der Umherirrende (talk) 18:16, 15 July 2022 (UTC)
 * @Umherirrender Yes, done. Jdforrester (WMF) (talk) 18:35, 20 July 2022 (UTC)
 * Should it say "All new tables" or just "All tables"? The former would allow deploying an extension which hasn't been updated to use abstract tables, which I assume we don't want. --Tgr (WMF) (talk) 18:36, 15 July 2022 (UTC)
 * Fair; dropped. Jdforrester (WMF) (talk) 18:40, 20 July 2022 (UTC)
 * If you subscribed to the Wikitech-l mailing list (in my case, I have already done so), you may get an email about the proposed new MediaWiki database policy. 105.105.109.101 11:30, 18 July 2022 (UTC)
 * +1 This sounds to me good. 105.105.211.122 10:31, 19 July 2022 (UTC)
 * ">We are working to improve this. First step is to overhaul schemas. You can find the abstract schema in "maintenance/tables.json". This file does not contain all tables yet and for the tables that are not abstracted you need to follow the old way."


 * +1. I am guessing this page needs update?, found at Manual:Schema_changes I can edit it myself if you confirm all core tables have been migrated and it is not a WIP anymore. --JCrespo (WMF) (talk) 11:05, 20 July 2022 (UTC)
 * @JCrespo (WMF) Ha, yes, fixed. Jdforrester (WMF) (talk) 18:38, 20 July 2022 (UTC)
 * +1 Sounds good to me. Note that Best practices for extensions already covers this as a "SHOULD". I propose that, with the force coming here from a database "policy", our best practices "guideline" can be updated to a "MUST" accordingly. Krinkle (talk) 19:11, 21 July 2022 (UTC)
 * Agreed, if we make this change (which seems likely from all the feedback so far) then that language should be upgraded. Jdforrester (WMF) (talk) 18:11, 22 July 2022 (UTC)