createSchema

Last updated: January 27, 2026

Creates a new schema in Snowflake. Schemas are logical groupings of database objects (tables, views, stages, etc.) and provide namespace isolation.

Note: Automatic rollback drops the schema.

Known limitation: This change type does not support database inspection features (snapshot, diff, diff-changelog, and generate-changelog commands).

Available attributes

Attribute	Type	Description	Required
`catalogName`	String	Name of the catalog (database) where the schema will be created	No
`schemaName`	String	Name of the schema to create	Yes
`replaceIfExists`	Boolean	Replace the schema if it exists using `OR REPLACE`*	No
`alterIfExists`	Boolean	Alter the schema if it exists using `OR ALTER`*	No
`ifNotExists`	Boolean	Only create if the schema doesn't exist using `IF NOT EXISTS`*	No
`isTransient`	Boolean	Create a transient schema (no Fail-safe period)	No
`withManagedAccess`	Boolean	Create managed access schema (only owner can grant privileges)	No
`dataRetentionTimeInDays`	Integer	Number of days to retain data for Time Travel	No
`maxDataExtensionTimeInDays`	Integer	Maximum number of days to extend data retention period	No
`defaultDdlCollation`	String	Default collation for tables/views created in this schema	No
`classificationProfile`	String	Fully-qualified name of classification profile	No
`objectVisibility`	String	Controls visibility of objects in INFORMATION_SCHEMA views	No
`logLevel`	String	Log level: `TRACE`, `DEBUG`, `INFO`, `WARN`, `ERROR`, `FATAL`, `OFF`	No
`traceLevel`	String	Trace event level: `ALWAYS`, `ON_EVENT`, `OFF`	No
`comment`	String	Comment describing the schema	No
`tags`	Map	Key-value pairs of tags to apply (tags must exist)**	No
`contacts`	Map	Contact purposes and names (valid: `Steward`, `Support`, `Approver`)**	No

* replaceIfExists, alterIfExists, and ifNotExists are mutually exclusive.

** tags and contacts are not supported with alterIfExists (CREATE OR ALTER).

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<databaseChangeLog
        xmlns="http://www.liquibase.org/xml/ns/dbchangelog"
        xmlns:pro-snowflake="http://www.liquibase.org/xml/ns/pro-snowflake"
        xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance"
        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/pro-snowflake
        http://www.liquibase.org/xml/ns/pro-snowflake/liquibase-pro-snowflake-latest.xsd">

    <!-- Basic schema creation -->
    <changeSet id="create-basic-schema" author="examples">
        <pro-snowflake:createSchema schemaName="ANALYTICS"/>
    </changeSet>

    <!-- Schema with IF NOT EXISTS -->
    <changeSet id="create-schema-if-not-exists" author="examples">
        <pro-snowflake:createSchema
                schemaName="STAGING"
                ifNotExists="true"
                comment="Staging area for ETL"/>
    </changeSet>

    <!-- Full-featured schema with tags and contacts -->
    <changeSet id="create-full-schema" author="examples">
        <pro-snowflake:createSchema
                schemaName="PRODUCTION_DATA"
                isTransient="true"
                withManagedAccess="true"
                dataRetentionTimeInDays="1"
                maxDataExtensionTimeInDays="14"
                defaultDdlCollation="utf8"
                logLevel="INFO"
                traceLevel="ALWAYS"
                comment="Production data schema">
            <pro-snowflake:tags>
                <pro-snowflake:entry key="environment" value="production"/>
                <pro-snowflake:entry key="compliance" value="pci"/>
            </pro-snowflake:tags>
            <pro-snowflake:contacts>
                <pro-snowflake:entry key="Steward" value="data_owner"/>
                <pro-snowflake:entry key="Support" value="support_team"/>
            </pro-snowflake:contacts>
        </pro-snowflake:createSchema>
    </changeSet>

</databaseChangeLog>

{
  "databaseChangeLog": [
    {
      "changeSet": {
        "id": "create-basic-schema",
        "author": "examples",
        "changes": [
          {
            "createSchema": {
              "schemaName": "ANALYTICS"
            }
          }
        ]
      }
    },
    {
      "changeSet": {
        "id": "create-schema-if-not-exists",
        "author": "examples",
        "changes": [
          {
            "createSchema": {
              "schemaName": "STAGING",
              "ifNotExists": true,
              "comment": "Staging area for ETL"
            }
          }
        ]
      }
    },
    {
      "changeSet": {
        "id": "create-full-schema",
        "author": "examples",
        "changes": [
          {
            "createSchema": {
              "schemaName": "PRODUCTION_DATA",
              "isTransient": true,
              "withManagedAccess": true,
              "dataRetentionTimeInDays": 1,
              "maxDataExtensionTimeInDays": 14,
              "defaultDdlCollation": "utf8",
              "logLevel": "INFO",
              "traceLevel": "ALWAYS",
              "comment": "Production data schema",
              "tags": {
                "entries": [
                  { "entry": { "key": "environment", "value": "production" } },
                  { "entry": { "key": "compliance", "value": "pci" } }
                ]
              },
              "contacts": {
                "entries": [
                  { "entry": { "key": "Steward", "value": "data_owner" } },
                  { "entry": { "key": "Support", "value": "support_team" } }
                ]
              }
            }
          }
        ]
      }
    }
  ]
}

databaseChangeLog:
  # Basic schema creation
  - changeSet:
      id: create-basic-schema
      author: examples
      changes:
        - createSchema:
            schemaName: ANALYTICS

  # Schema with IF NOT EXISTS
  - changeSet:
      id: create-schema-if-not-exists
      author: examples
      changes:
        - createSchema:
            schemaName: STAGING
            ifNotExists: true
            comment: Staging area for ETL

  # Full-featured schema with tags and contacts
  - changeSet:
      id: create-full-schema
      author: examples
      changes:
        - createSchema:
            schemaName: PRODUCTION_DATA
            isTransient: true
            withManagedAccess: true
            dataRetentionTimeInDays: 1
            maxDataExtensionTimeInDays: 14
            defaultDdlCollation: utf8
            logLevel: INFO
            traceLevel: ALWAYS
            comment: Production data schema
            tags:
              entries:
                - entry:
                    key: environment
                    value: production
                - entry:
                    key: compliance
                    value: pci
            contacts:
              entries:
                - entry:
                    key: Steward
                    value: data_owner
                - entry:
                    key: Support
                    value: support_team

--liquibase formatted sql

--changeset examples:basic-schema-creation
-- Basic schema creation
CREATE SCHEMA ANALYTICS;

--changeset examples:schema-with-if-not-exists
-- Schema with IF NOT EXISTS
CREATE SCHEMA IF NOT EXISTS STAGING COMMENT = 'Staging area for ETL';

--changeset examples:full-featured-schema-with-tags-and-contacts
-- Full-featured schema with tags and contacts
CREATE TRANSIENT SCHEMA PRODUCTION_DATA WITH MANAGED ACCESS
    DATA_RETENTION_TIME_IN_DAYS = 1
    MAX_DATA_EXTENSION_TIME_IN_DAYS = 14
    DEFAULT_DDL_COLLATION = 'utf8'
    LOG_LEVEL = 'INFO'
    TRACE_LEVEL = 'ALWAYS'
    COMMENT = 'Production data schema'
    WITH TAG (environment = 'production', compliance = 'pci')
    WITH CONTACT (STEWARD = data_owner, SUPPORT = support_team);

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<databaseChangeLog
        xmlns="http://www.liquibase.org/xml/ns/dbchangelog"
        xmlns:pro-snowflake="http://www.liquibase.org/xml/ns/pro-snowflake"
        xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance"
        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/pro-snowflake
        http://www.liquibase.org/xml/ns/pro-snowflake/liquibase-pro-snowflake-latest.xsd">

    <!-- Basic schema creation -->
    <changeSet id="create-basic-schema" author="examples">
        <pro-snowflake:createSchema schemaName="ANALYTICS"/>
    </changeSet>

    <!-- Schema with IF NOT EXISTS -->
    <changeSet id="create-schema-if-not-exists" author="examples">
        <pro-snowflake:createSchema
                schemaName="STAGING"
                ifNotExists="true"
                comment="Staging area for ETL"/>
    </changeSet>

    <!-- Full-featured schema with tags and contacts -->
    <changeSet id="create-full-schema" author="examples">
        <pro-snowflake:createSchema
                schemaName="PRODUCTION_DATA"
                isTransient="true"
                withManagedAccess="true"
                dataRetentionTimeInDays="1"
                maxDataExtensionTimeInDays="14"
                defaultDdlCollation="utf8"
                logLevel="INFO"
                traceLevel="ALWAYS"
                comment="Production data schema">
            <pro-snowflake:tags>
                <pro-snowflake:entry key="environment" value="production"/>
                <pro-snowflake:entry key="compliance" value="pci"/>
            </pro-snowflake:tags>
            <pro-snowflake:contacts>
                <pro-snowflake:entry key="Steward" value="data_owner"/>
                <pro-snowflake:entry key="Support" value="support_team"/>
            </pro-snowflake:contacts>
        </pro-snowflake:createSchema>
    </changeSet>

</databaseChangeLog>

{
  "databaseChangeLog": [
    {
      "changeSet": {
        "id": "create-basic-schema",
        "author": "examples",
        "changes": [
          {
            "createSchema": {
              "schemaName": "ANALYTICS"
            }
          }
        ]
      }
    },
    {
      "changeSet": {
        "id": "create-schema-if-not-exists",
        "author": "examples",
        "changes": [
          {
            "createSchema": {
              "schemaName": "STAGING",
              "ifNotExists": true,
              "comment": "Staging area for ETL"
            }
          }
        ]
      }
    },
    {
      "changeSet": {
        "id": "create-full-schema",
        "author": "examples",
        "changes": [
          {
            "createSchema": {
              "schemaName": "PRODUCTION_DATA",
              "isTransient": true,
              "withManagedAccess": true,
              "dataRetentionTimeInDays": 1,
              "maxDataExtensionTimeInDays": 14,
              "defaultDdlCollation": "utf8",
              "logLevel": "INFO",
              "traceLevel": "ALWAYS",
              "comment": "Production data schema",
              "tags": {
                "entries": [
                  { "entry": { "key": "environment", "value": "production" } },
                  { "entry": { "key": "compliance", "value": "pci" } }
                ]
              },
              "contacts": {
                "entries": [
                  { "entry": { "key": "Steward", "value": "data_owner" } },
                  { "entry": { "key": "Support", "value": "support_team" } }
                ]
              }
            }
          }
        ]
      }
    }
  ]
}

databaseChangeLog:
  # Basic schema creation
  - changeSet:
      id: create-basic-schema
      author: examples
      changes:
        - createSchema:
            schemaName: ANALYTICS

  # Schema with IF NOT EXISTS
  - changeSet:
      id: create-schema-if-not-exists
      author: examples
      changes:
        - createSchema:
            schemaName: STAGING
            ifNotExists: true
            comment: Staging area for ETL

  # Full-featured schema with tags and contacts
  - changeSet:
      id: create-full-schema
      author: examples
      changes:
        - createSchema:
            schemaName: PRODUCTION_DATA
            isTransient: true
            withManagedAccess: true
            dataRetentionTimeInDays: 1
            maxDataExtensionTimeInDays: 14
            defaultDdlCollation: utf8
            logLevel: INFO
            traceLevel: ALWAYS
            comment: Production data schema
            tags:
              entries:
                - entry:
                    key: environment
                    value: production
                - entry:
                    key: compliance
                    value: pci
            contacts:
              entries:
                - entry:
                    key: Steward
                    value: data_owner
                - entry:
                    key: Support
                    value: support_team

--liquibase formatted sql

--changeset examples:basic-schema-creation
-- Basic schema creation
CREATE SCHEMA ANALYTICS;

--changeset examples:schema-with-if-not-exists
-- Schema with IF NOT EXISTS
CREATE SCHEMA IF NOT EXISTS STAGING COMMENT = 'Staging area for ETL';

--changeset examples:full-featured-schema-with-tags-and-contacts
-- Full-featured schema with tags and contacts
CREATE TRANSIENT SCHEMA PRODUCTION_DATA WITH MANAGED ACCESS
    DATA_RETENTION_TIME_IN_DAYS = 1
    MAX_DATA_EXTENSION_TIME_IN_DAYS = 14
    DEFAULT_DDL_COLLATION = 'utf8'
    LOG_LEVEL = 'INFO'
    TRACE_LEVEL = 'ALWAYS'
    COMMENT = 'Production data schema'
    WITH TAG (environment = 'production', compliance = 'pci')
    WITH CONTACT (STEWARD = data_owner, SUPPORT = support_team);

createSchema

Available attributes

XML example

JSON example

YAML example

SQL example

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