sql

The sql Change Type allows you to specify whatever SQL you want.

Uses

sql is useful for complex changes that are not supported through Liquibase automated Change Types such as stored procedures. The SQL contained in sql can be multi-line.

Tip: If you use psql, SQL Plus, or sqlcmd utility and Liquibase Pro, see Use Native Executors with PostgreSQL, Use Native Executors with Oracle Database, and Use native executors with Microsoft SQL Server.

Using the SQL Change Type

The <sql> Change Type can also support multi-line statements in the same file. Statements can either be split using a ; at the end of the last line of the SQL or a GO on its own on the line between the statements can be used. Multi-line SQL statements are also supported and only a ; or GO statement will finish a statement, a new line is not enough. Files containing a single statement do not need to use a ; or GO.

The SQL change can also contain comments of either of the following formats:

  • A multi-line comment that starts with /* and ends with */.
  • A single line comment starting with -- and finishing at the end of the line.

Note: By default it will attempt to split statements on a ; or GO at the end of lines. Because of this, if you have a comment or some other non-statement ending ; or GO, don't have it at the end of a line or you will get invalid SQL.

Run sql

To run this Change Type, follow these steps:

  1. Add the Change Type to your changeset, as shown in the examples on this page.
  2. Specify any required attributes. Use the table on this page to see which ones your database requires.
  3. Deploy your changeset by running the update command:
    4. liquibase update

Examples

Currently, there is no SQL example for the <sql> tag, since you can just put SQL into a SQL formatted changelog.

databaseChangeLog:
-  changeSet:
     id:  sql-example
     author:  liquibase-docs
     changes:
      -  sql:
          dbms:  '!h2,  oracle,  mysql'
          endDelimiter:  \nGO
          splitStatements:  true
          sql:  insert into person (name) values ('Bob')
          stripComments:  true
{
    "databaseChangeLog": [
        {
            "databaseChangeLog": [
                {
                    "changeSet": {
                        "id": "sql-example",
                        "author": "liquibase-docs",
                        "changes": [
                            {
                                "sql": {
                                    "dbms": "!h2, oracle, mysql",
                                    "endDelimiter": "GO",
                                    "splitStatements": true,
                                    "sql": "insert into person (name) values ('Bob')",
                                    "stripComments": true
                                }
                            }
                        ]
                    }
                }
            ]
        }
    ]
}
<databaseChangeLog
    xmlns="http://www.liquibase.org/xml/ns/dbchangelog"
    xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance"
    xmlns:ext="http://www.liquibase.org/xml/ns/dbchangelog-ext"
    xmlns:pro="http://www.liquibase.org/xml/ns/pro"
    xsi:schemaLocation="http://www.liquibase.org/xml/ns/dbchangelog
        http://www.liquibase.org/xml/ns/dbchangelog/dbchangelog-latest.xsd
        http://www.liquibase.org/xml/ns/dbchangelog-ext
        http://www.liquibase.org/xml/ns/dbchangelog/dbchangelog-ext.xsd
        http://www.liquibase.org/xml/ns/pro
        http://www.liquibase.org/xml/ns/pro/liquibase-pro-latest.xsd">

    <changeSet  author="liquibase-docs"  id="sql-example">
        <sql dbms="!h2, oracle, mysql"
                endDelimiter="\nGO"
                splitStatements="true"
                stripComments="true">insert into person (name) values ('Bob')
        </sql>
    </changeSet>

</databaseChangeLog>

Available attributes

Name Description Required for Supports Since
dbms

Specifies which database type(s) a changeset is to be used for. See valid database type names on dbms. Separate multiple databases with commas. Specify that a changeset is not applicable to a particular database type by prefixing with !. The keywords all and none are also available.

 all 3.0
endDelimiter

Specifies delimiter to apply to the end of the statement. Your delimiter string can be a combination of one or more letters, symbols, and/or numbers, or the empty string (""). Default: ";". See also: --pro-global-end-delimiter and --pro-global-end-delimiter-prioritized.

Tip: It is a best practice not to use endDelimiter on changesets you are running with a native executor. Native executors handle delimiters natively.

 all
splitStatements

If required, Liquibase will automatically add splitstatements:true to generated changesets in Formatted SQL changelogs. Otherwise, the default setting for generated changelogs is splitstatements:false.

Example: If the generated SQL has multiple SQL statements, then Liquibase adds splitStatements:true to the changelog.

Tip: It is best practice not to use splitStatements=true on changesets you are running with a native executor. Native executors handle statement splitting natively.

 all
sql Specifies the SQL to execute. all all
stripComments

When true, removes any comments in the statement before executing. If false, Liquibase does not remove any comments. Default: false. See also: --pro-global-strip-comments and --pro-global-strip-comments-prioritized.

 all

Database support

Database Notes Auto Rollback
DB2/LUW Supported No
DB2/z Supported No
Derby Supported No
Firebird Supported No
Google BigQuery Supported No
H2 Supported No
HyperSQL Supported No
INGRES Supported No
Informix Supported No
MariaDB Supported No
MySQL Supported No
Oracle Supported No
PostgreSQL Supported No
Snowflake Supported No
SQL Server Supported No
SQLite Supported No
Sybase Supported No
Sybase Anywhere Supported No

Related links