dbDoc <outputDirectory> command

The dbDoc <outputDirectory> command generates documentation in a Javadoc format based on the existing database and changelogs.

Uses

The dbDoc <outputDirectory> command is typically used to generate database documentation with the change information stored in the changelogs and the existing database. It captures the current state of your database including everything that has been performed against it.

The image below shows an example of the database documentation.

Note: For more information, see the changelogDocs.zip file, which shows an example of the database documentation structure with the related directories and files.

Running the dbDoc <outputDirectory> command

To run the dbDoc <outputDirectory> command, you can specify the driver, classpath, and URL in your liquibase.properties file. For more information, see Creating and configuring a liquibase.properties file. You can also specify these properties in your command line.

Then run the dbDoc <outputDirectory> command:

liquibase --changeLogFile=myChangelog.xml dbDoc changelogDocs

Note: Enter the name of the changelog and the output directory that you want to use in place of myChangelog.xml and changelogDocs. Also, it is best practice to specify a new empty directory for the files path because the dbDoc <outputDirectory> command creates its own directories, the CSS file, and multiple .html files.

dbDoc <outputDirectory> global attributes

Attribute Definition Requirement

--changeLogFile

The root changelog

Required

--url

The JDBC database connection URL

Required

--username

The database username

Required

--password

The database password

Required

Note: The username and password attributes are not required for connections and systems which use alternate means of authentication.

dbDoc <outputDirectory> command attributes

Attribute Definition Requirement

<outputDirectory>

The directory where the database documentation is generated.

Required

dbDoc example output

Liquibase Pro 4.3.0 by Datical licensed to Liquibase Pro Customer until Tue Sep 22 19:00:00 CDT 2020
Liquibase command 'dbDoc' was executed successfully.

Starting from Liquibase 4.4, there are changes in how you can configure Liquibase or how you can type commands, including dbDoc. The Liquibase CLI functionality aims to be backward compatible with all previous versions. However, it is a best practice to follow the syntax rules on the Command Line Interface page and in the output of the --help command.

Running the db-doc command

To run the db-doc command, you can specify the driver, classpath, and URL in your liquibase.properties file. For more information, see Creating and configuring a liquibase.properties file. You can also specify these properties in your command line.

Then run the db-doc command:

liquibase db-doc --changelog-file=newChangeLog_with_data.xml --output-directory=dbDocChangeLog

db-doc command attributes

Attribute Definition Requirement
--changelog-file The root changelog Required

--default-catalog-name

The default catalog name to use for the database connection

 Optional

--default-schema-name

The default schema name to use for the database connection

 Optional
--driver The JDBC driver class Optional
--driver-properties-file The JDBC driver properties file Optional
--output-directory The directory where the database documentation is generated Required
--username The database username Required*
--password The database password Required*
--url The JDBC database connection Required

Note: The username and password attributes are not required for connections and systems which use alternate means of authentication.

Tip: For a full list of global attributes, enter --help in your CLI or check the Liquibase Configuration Reference for Parameters and Environment Variables.

db-doc example output

When successful, the db-doc command produces the following output:

####################################################
##   _     _             _ _                      ##
##  | |   (_)           (_) |                     ##
##  | |    _  __ _ _   _ _| |__   __ _ ___  ___   ##
##  | |   | |/ _` | | | | | '_ \ / _` / __|/ _ \  ##
##  | |___| | (_| | |_| | | |_) | (_| \__ \  __/  ##
##  \_____/_|\__, |\__,_|_|_.__/ \__,_|___/\___|  ##
##              | |                               ##
##              |_|                               ##
##                                                ##
##  Get documentation at docs.liquibase.com       ##
##  Get certified courses at learn.liquibase.com  ##
##  Free schema change activity reports at        ##
##      https://hub.liquibase.com                 ##
##                                                ##
####################################################
Starting Liquibase at 13:50:12 (version 4.4.0 #11 built at 2021-06-09 16:36+0000)
Liquibase Version: 4.4.0
Liquibase Pro 4.4.0 by Datical licensed to support until Wed Sep 22 23:59:59 CDT 2021
Liquibase command 'db-doc' was executed successfully.