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This workflow helps you apply schema changes consistently across multiple tenant databases in a multi-tenant architecture. When you need to update the schema structure for all tenants, this workflow ensures every tenant database reaches the same desired schema state, even though each tenant may require different migration steps depending on their current state.
1

Prepare Template Schema

Create a master schema template that defines the desired state for all tenant schemas.
# Dump the template schema from your reference tenant or development environment
pgschema dump --host localhost --db myapp --user postgres --schema tenant_template > tenant_schema.sql
Review the schema file to ensure it contains all necessary changes and is ready for deployment across all tenants.
2

Preview Changes

Generate migration plans for each tenant to see what changes will be applied before execution.
# Create a list of all tenant schema names
echo "tenant_001
tenant_002
tenant_003
tenant_test" > tenant_list.txt

# Preview changes for a single tenant
mkdir -p plans
pgschema plan --host localhost --db myapp --user postgres \
  --schema tenant_001 --file tenant_schema.sql \
  --output-json "plans/tenant_001_plan.json" \
  --output-human "plans/tenant_001_plan.txt"

# Generate plans for all tenants (optional but recommended)
while read tenant; do
  echo "=== Plan for $tenant ==="
  pgschema plan --host localhost --db myapp --user postgres \
    --schema "$tenant" --file tenant_schema.sql \
    --output-json "plans/${tenant}_plan.json" \
    --output-human "plans/${tenant}_plan.txt"
done < tenant_list.txt
Review the plans to ensure the changes are expected and safe for all tenants. The JSON plans can be used later with the --plan flag to ensure exactly the same migration steps are executed across all tenants.
3

Apply to Test Tenant

Validate the schema changes on a single test tenant before rolling out to all tenants.
# Apply using the pre-generated plan
pgschema apply --host localhost --db myapp --user postgres \
  --schema tenant_test --plan plans/tenant_test_plan.json

# Verify the test tenant schema was updated correctly
pgschema dump --host localhost --db myapp --user postgres \
  --schema tenant_test > test_result.sql

# Compare with expected template
diff tenant_schema.sql test_result.sql
Perform application testing on the test tenant to ensure functionality works as expected with the new schema. Note that each tenant may have different migration steps depending on their current schema state, but all will reach the same final desired state.
4

Roll Out to All Tenants

Apply the schema changes to all production tenant schemas.
# Apply using pre-generated plans
while read tenant; do
  echo "Updating schema: $tenant"
  pgschema apply --host localhost --db myapp --user postgres \
    --schema "$tenant" --plan "plans/${tenant}_plan.json" \
    --auto-approve --lock-timeout 30s
  
  # Check for errors and log results
  if [ $? -eq 0 ]; then
    echo "✅ Successfully updated $tenant"
    echo "$(date): $tenant - SUCCESS" >> migration.log
  else
    echo "❌ Failed to update $tenant"
    echo "$(date): $tenant - FAILED" >> migration.log
    exit 1
  fi
  
  # Add small delay between updates to reduce database load
  sleep 2
done < tenant_list.txt
For production environments, consider adding delays between tenant updates, monitoring for issues, and using the --lock-timeout flag to prevent long-running locks.
5

Verify Deployment

Confirm all tenant schemas have been updated to match the desired template state.
# Create verification directory
mkdir -p verification

# Dump all tenant schemas
while read tenant; do
  echo "Verifying $tenant..."
  pgschema dump --host localhost --db myapp --user postgres \
    --schema "$tenant" > "verification/${tenant}.sql"
done < tenant_list.txt

# Compare each tenant schema against the template
while read tenant; do
  diff tenant_schema.sql "verification/${tenant}.sql" || {
    echo "❌ Schema mismatch detected in $tenant - does not match template"
    exit 1
  }
  echo "✅ $tenant matches template schema"
done < tenant_list.txt

echo "✅ All tenant schemas match the desired template state"
All tenants now have the same schema structure matching the template and are ready for application deployment.
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