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Getting Help

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Compatibility

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Which PostgreSQL versions are supported?

pgschema is tested with PostgreSQL versions 14, 15, 16, and 17. While it may work with older versions, we recommend using one of these tested versions for the best experience.

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Can I use pgschema with cloud PostgreSQL services?

Yes, pgschema works with any PostgreSQL-compatible database that you can connect to, including:
  • Amazon RDS for PostgreSQL
  • Google Cloud SQL for PostgreSQL
  • Azure Database for PostgreSQL
  • Supabase
  • Neon
  • And other PostgreSQL-compatible services

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How do I handle database-specific settings?

pgschema focuses on schema structure (tables, indexes, functions, etc.) and doesn’t manage:
  • Database-level settings
  • User/role management
  • Tablespace configuration
  • Extensions
These should be managed separately through your infrastructure tooling. See unsupported syntax.

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What happens if a migration fails?

  1. For most changes, pgschema executes them in a transaction and will roll back on failure
  2. For changes containing non-transactional statements (like CREATE INDEX CONCURRENTLY), each statement runs in its own transaction
  3. Your database will remain in its previous state for transactional changes. When migrations include non-transactional DDL statements, partial application may occur if a later statement fails
  4. You’ll see a clear error message indicating what went wrong
  5. Fix the issue in your schema file and try again

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Troubleshooting

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Why does pgschema show no changes when I expect some?

Common causes:
  • The changes are in objects pgschema doesn’t track yet
  • The database already matches your desired state
  • You’re comparing against the wrong schema (check --schema flag)
Run with --debug flag for more detailed output.

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How do I debug connection issues?

For connection problems:
  1. Verify PostgreSQL is running: pg_isready -h host -p port
  2. Check your credentials and permissions
  3. Ensure the database exists
  4. Check network/firewall settings
  5. Try connecting with psql using the same parameters

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What permissions does pgschema need?

pgschema needs:
  • CONNECT privilege on the database
  • USAGE privilege on the target schema
  • CREATE privilege on the schema (for new objects)
  • Appropriate privileges for all object types you’re managing
For read-only operations (dump, plan), only SELECT privileges are needed.

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Advanced Topics

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How does pgschema handle dependencies?

pgschema automatically:
  • Detects dependencies between database objects
  • Orders DDL statements to respect dependencies
  • Creates objects in the correct order
  • Drops objects in reverse dependency order

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How does pgschema detect concurrent schema changes?

pgschema uses fingerprinting to detect if the database schema has changed since the migration plan was created:
  • A fingerprint (hash) of the current schema is calculated during planning
  • Before applying changes, pgschema verifies the fingerprint still matches
  • If the schema has changed (concurrent modifications), the apply operation will fail safely
  • This prevents conflicts and ensures migrations are applied to the expected schema state

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Can I use pgschema for database comparisons?

Yes! You can compare schemas across databases: 
# Dump both schemas
pgschema dump --host db1 --db myapp > schema1.sql
pgschema dump --host db2 --db myapp > schema2.sql

# Compare with diff
diff schema1.sql schema2.sql

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License

See pgschema Community License. Q: Can I use pgschema for my startup?
Yes, if your company’s annual gross revenue is ≤ US $10M and you are not competing with pgschema. Q: I’m a large company using pgschema internally. Do I need a license?
Yes, if your company’s total global annual gross revenue is > US $10M. Q: What counts as “competing with pgschema”?
Offering software or services that are managing, transforming, or validating PostgreSQL schema for others. Q: How is the $10M threshold calculated?
  • Total annual gross revenue before deductions
  • Includes all affiliates, parents, and subsidiaries
  • Based on the prior fiscal year
Q: What if I want to remove these restrictions?
Contact us for a commercial license.