Re: Database snapshots or clones for staging and testing.

On 01/30/2014 02:12 PM, Tim Uckun wrote:
> Hi all.
>
> I have the following scenario I want to accomplish.
>
> In order to test a new branch of code I want to create a snapshot of the
> live database into a testing database. The code will be deployed after
> that and it may run some migrations which will change the schema of the
> database. The code is then tested using both automated testing and user
> acceptance testing (this stage may take hours or perhaps even days).
> During that time the users can change the data. After the branch is
> accepted by the users we would like to "reset" the database to the way
> it was before and perhaps test another branch.
>
> One obvious way to do this would be to do a backup/restore but as the
> database grows larger that process is taking too long. It would be
> great if we could do a streaming replica and then pause the replication,
> run our tests, and then reset the database to the point at which the
> replication was paused and restart the replication. Is that possible?
>
> Another option would be the try and leverage PITR. Create a checkpoint,
> run the migrations do your tests, roll back to everything to the start.
> This does seem possible to me although of course I am still stuck with
> the backup restore problem.
>
> Anything I missed? Surely there is a super clever trick I am missing here.

Well since you mention snapshots, one way I have seen it done on this
list is to use a file system that supports snapshots and use that.

--
Adrian Klaver
adrian(dot)klaver(at)gmail(dot)com