In AWDWR v2 there are two high-level paths for migrations suggested:
1. Have a new migration file for each schema change that arises during the course of development. Theoretically, this enables one to update the schema in any of the environments, even production. 2. Have a migration file for each table. This is offered as a way to maintain a view of the schema in a single location, but seems to abandon all hope of running the migrations against production.
I'd like to throw out a third option: have a single migration file for each release. This way the changes that are collectively required for the release are in a single location, and the migration can be run to update production. If you need a readable document showing the current state of the schema, then update the schema.rb file.
I'm new to RoR, and to this list, so it's very likely that this option has already seen a good deal of discussion (although I didn't see anything in a quick scan of the archive). If this has already been beaten to death, then point me in the direction of the carcass.
Thanks,
-=michael=-
Michael Kelly Team Lead, Applications Group Learning.com