Use preconditions with modifyChangeSets for multi-platform changelogs

Last updated: June 9, 2026

This procedure configures preconditions within modifyChangeSets blocks so that Liquibase skips changesets intended for a different database platform. This lets teams maintain a single changelog repository for all database platforms without adding dbms attributes to every individual changeset.

Important: Do not use changelog-level preConditions (outside of changesets) in included files to control per-changeset execution. Changelog-level preconditions are evaluated during validation, not during changeset execution, so onFail=CONTINUE causes a ValidationFailedException instead of skipping changesets. Use modifyChangeSets preconditions instead.

How it works

When you add a preConditions element inside a modifyChangeSets block, Liquibase applies that precondition to every changeset included within the block. This happens at the changeset level, so onFail and onError behaviors (CONTINUE, HALT, WARN, MARK_RAN) work exactly as they do for changeset-level preconditions.

If a changeset already has its own preConditions, the modifyChangeSets precondition is not applied to that changeset. The changeset-level precondition takes priority.
Changesets outside modifyChangeSets blocks are not affected.
All precondition types are supported: dbms, tableExists, runningAs, sqlCheck, and others.

Before you begin

Identify which database platforms your changelogs target (for example, oracle, postgresql, mysql, mssql, and others).
Organize your changelogs so that platform-specific changesets are in separate files that can be wrapped in modifyChangeSets blocks.

Procedure

Step 1: Create platform-specific changelog files

Create separate changelog files for each database platform. These files contain regular changesets without any preconditions.

oracle-changes

<?xml version="1.1" encoding="UTF-8" standalone="no"?>
<databaseChangeLog
    xmlns="http://www.liquibase.org/xml/ns/dbchangelog"
    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">

    <changeSet id="oracle-1" author="your.name">
        <createTable tableName="ORACLE_SPECIFIC_TABLE">
            <column name="ID" type="INT"/>
            <column name="DATA" type="VARCHAR2(100)"/>
        </createTable>
    </changeSet>
</databaseChangeLog>

databaseChangeLog:
  - changeSet:
      id: oracle-1
      author: your.name
      changes:
        - createTable:
            tableName: ORACLE_SPECIFIC_TABLE
            columns:
              - column:
                  name: ID
                  type: INT
              - column:
                  name: DATA
                  type: VARCHAR2(100)

{ "databaseChangeLog": [
  {
    "changeSet": {
      "id": "oracle-1",
      "author": "your.name",
      "changes": [
        {
          "createTable": {
            "tableName": "ORACLE_SPECIFIC_TABLE",
            "columns": [
              { "column": { "name": "ID", "type": "INT" } },
              { "column": { "name": "DATA", "type": "VARCHAR2(100)" } }
            ]
          }
        }
      ]
    }
  }
]}

<?xml version="1.1" encoding="UTF-8" standalone="no"?>
<databaseChangeLog
    xmlns="http://www.liquibase.org/xml/ns/dbchangelog"
    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">

    <changeSet id="oracle-1" author="your.name">
        <createTable tableName="ORACLE_SPECIFIC_TABLE">
            <column name="ID" type="INT"/>
            <column name="DATA" type="VARCHAR2(100)"/>
        </createTable>
    </changeSet>
</databaseChangeLog>

databaseChangeLog:
  - changeSet:
      id: oracle-1
      author: your.name
      changes:
        - createTable:
            tableName: ORACLE_SPECIFIC_TABLE
            columns:
              - column:
                  name: ID
                  type: INT
              - column:
                  name: DATA
                  type: VARCHAR2(100)

{ "databaseChangeLog": [
  {
    "changeSet": {
      "id": "oracle-1",
      "author": "your.name",
      "changes": [
        {
          "createTable": {
            "tableName": "ORACLE_SPECIFIC_TABLE",
            "columns": [
              { "column": { "name": "ID", "type": "INT" } },
              { "column": { "name": "DATA", "type": "VARCHAR2(100)" } }
            ]
          }
        }
      ]
    }
  }
]}

postgresql-changes

<?xml version="1.1" encoding="UTF-8" standalone="no"?>
<databaseChangeLog
    xmlns="http://www.liquibase.org/xml/ns/dbchangelog"
    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">

    <changeSet id="pg-1" author="your.name">
        <createTable tableName="PG_SPECIFIC_TABLE">
            <column name="ID" type="INT"/>
            <column name="DATA" type="VARCHAR(100)"/>
        </createTable>
    </changeSet>
</databaseChangeLog>

databaseChangeLog:
  - changeSet:
      id: pg-1
      author: your.name
      changes:
        - createTable:
            tableName: PG_SPECIFIC_TABLE
            columns:
              - column:
                  name: ID
                  type: INT
              - column:
                  name: DATA
                  type: VARCHAR(100)

{ "databaseChangeLog": [
  {
    "changeSet": {
      "id": "pg-1",
      "author": "your.name",
      "changes": [
        {
          "createTable": {
            "tableName": "PG_SPECIFIC_TABLE",
            "columns": [
              { "column": { "name": "ID", "type": "INT" } },
              { "column": { "name": "DATA", "type": "VARCHAR(100)" } }
            ]
          }
        }
      ]
    }
  }
]}

<?xml version="1.1" encoding="UTF-8" standalone="no"?>
<databaseChangeLog
    xmlns="http://www.liquibase.org/xml/ns/dbchangelog"
    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">

    <changeSet id="pg-1" author="your.name">
        <createTable tableName="PG_SPECIFIC_TABLE">
            <column name="ID" type="INT"/>
            <column name="DATA" type="VARCHAR(100)"/>
        </createTable>
    </changeSet>
</databaseChangeLog>

databaseChangeLog:
  - changeSet:
      id: pg-1
      author: your.name
      changes:
        - createTable:
            tableName: PG_SPECIFIC_TABLE
            columns:
              - column:
                  name: ID
                  type: INT
              - column:
                  name: DATA
                  type: VARCHAR(100)

{ "databaseChangeLog": [
  {
    "changeSet": {
      "id": "pg-1",
      "author": "your.name",
      "changes": [
        {
          "createTable": {
            "tableName": "PG_SPECIFIC_TABLE",
            "columns": [
              { "column": { "name": "ID", "type": "INT" } },
              { "column": { "name": "DATA", "type": "VARCHAR(100)" } }
            ]
          }
        }
      ]
    }
  }
]}

Step 2: Create a root changelog with modifyChangeSets preconditions

Wrap each platform-specific include in a modifyChangeSets block with a preConditions element. Changesets that apply to all platforms go outside modifyChangeSets blocks.

Root changelog

<?xml version="1.1" encoding="UTF-8" standalone="no"?>
<databaseChangeLog
    xmlns="http://www.liquibase.org/xml/ns/dbchangelog"
    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">

    <!-- Oracle-only changesets — skipped on non-Oracle databases -->
    <modifyChangeSets>
        <preConditions onFail="CONTINUE" onError="CONTINUE">
            <dbms type="oracle"/>
        </preConditions>
        <include file="oracle-changes.xml" relativeToChangelogFile="true"/>
    </modifyChangeSets>

    <!-- PostgreSQL-only changesets — skipped on non-PostgreSQL databases -->
    <modifyChangeSets>
        <preConditions onFail="CONTINUE" onError="CONTINUE">
            <dbms type="postgresql"/>
        </preConditions>
        <include file="postgresql-changes.xml" relativeToChangelogFile="true"/>
    </modifyChangeSets>

    <!-- Shared changesets — execute on all platforms -->
    <changeSet id="shared-1" author="your.name">
        <createTable tableName="SHARED_TABLE">
            <column name="ID" type="INT"/>
            <column name="NAME" type="VARCHAR(100)"/>
        </createTable>
    </changeSet>
</databaseChangeLog>

databaseChangeLog:
  - modifyChangeSets:
      preConditions:
        onFail: CONTINUE
        onError: CONTINUE
        dbms:
          type: oracle
      include:
        file: oracle-changes.xml
        relativeToChangelogFile: true

  - modifyChangeSets:
      preConditions:
        onFail: CONTINUE
        onError: CONTINUE
        dbms:
          type: postgresql
      include:
        file: postgresql-changes.xml
        relativeToChangelogFile: true

  - changeSet:
      id: shared-1
      author: your.name
      changes:
        - createTable:
            tableName: SHARED_TABLE
            columns:
              - column:
                  name: ID
                  type: INT
              - column:
                  name: NAME
                  type: VARCHAR(100)

{ "databaseChangeLog": [
  {
    "modifyChangeSets": {
      "preConditions": {
        "onFail": "CONTINUE",
        "onError": "CONTINUE",
        "dbms": { "type": "oracle" }
      },
      "include": { "file": "oracle-changes.xml", "relativeToChangelogFile": "true" }
    }
  },
  {
    "modifyChangeSets": {
      "preConditions": {
        "onFail": "CONTINUE",
        "onError": "CONTINUE",
        "dbms": { "type": "postgresql" }
      },
      "include": { "file": "postgresql-changes.xml", "relativeToChangelogFile": "true" }
    }
  },
  {
    "changeSet": {
      "id": "shared-1",
      "author": "your.name",
      "changes": [
        {
          "createTable": {
            "tableName": "SHARED_TABLE",
            "columns": [
              { "column": { "name": "ID", "type": "INT" } },
              { "column": { "name": "NAME", "type": "VARCHAR(100)" } }
            ]
          }
        }
      ]
    }
  }
]}

<?xml version="1.1" encoding="UTF-8" standalone="no"?>
<databaseChangeLog
    xmlns="http://www.liquibase.org/xml/ns/dbchangelog"
    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">

    <!-- Oracle-only changesets — skipped on non-Oracle databases -->
    <modifyChangeSets>
        <preConditions onFail="CONTINUE" onError="CONTINUE">
            <dbms type="oracle"/>
        </preConditions>
        <include file="oracle-changes.xml" relativeToChangelogFile="true"/>
    </modifyChangeSets>

    <!-- PostgreSQL-only changesets — skipped on non-PostgreSQL databases -->
    <modifyChangeSets>
        <preConditions onFail="CONTINUE" onError="CONTINUE">
            <dbms type="postgresql"/>
        </preConditions>
        <include file="postgresql-changes.xml" relativeToChangelogFile="true"/>
    </modifyChangeSets>

    <!-- Shared changesets — execute on all platforms -->
    <changeSet id="shared-1" author="your.name">
        <createTable tableName="SHARED_TABLE">
            <column name="ID" type="INT"/>
            <column name="NAME" type="VARCHAR(100)"/>
        </createTable>
    </changeSet>
</databaseChangeLog>

databaseChangeLog:
  - modifyChangeSets:
      preConditions:
        onFail: CONTINUE
        onError: CONTINUE
        dbms:
          type: oracle
      include:
        file: oracle-changes.xml
        relativeToChangelogFile: true

  - modifyChangeSets:
      preConditions:
        onFail: CONTINUE
        onError: CONTINUE
        dbms:
          type: postgresql
      include:
        file: postgresql-changes.xml
        relativeToChangelogFile: true

  - changeSet:
      id: shared-1
      author: your.name
      changes:
        - createTable:
            tableName: SHARED_TABLE
            columns:
              - column:
                  name: ID
                  type: INT
              - column:
                  name: NAME
                  type: VARCHAR(100)

{ "databaseChangeLog": [
  {
    "modifyChangeSets": {
      "preConditions": {
        "onFail": "CONTINUE",
        "onError": "CONTINUE",
        "dbms": { "type": "oracle" }
      },
      "include": { "file": "oracle-changes.xml", "relativeToChangelogFile": "true" }
    }
  },
  {
    "modifyChangeSets": {
      "preConditions": {
        "onFail": "CONTINUE",
        "onError": "CONTINUE",
        "dbms": { "type": "postgresql" }
      },
      "include": { "file": "postgresql-changes.xml", "relativeToChangelogFile": "true" }
    }
  },
  {
    "changeSet": {
      "id": "shared-1",
      "author": "your.name",
      "changes": [
        {
          "createTable": {
            "tableName": "SHARED_TABLE",
            "columns": [
              { "column": { "name": "ID", "type": "INT" } },
              { "column": { "name": "NAME", "type": "VARCHAR(100)" } }
            ]
          }
        }
      ]
    }
  }
]}

Step 3: Use includeAll for directory-based organization (optional)

You can use includeAll instead of include to include all changelog files in a directory.

includeAll

<modifyChangeSets>
    <preConditions onFail="CONTINUE" onError="CONTINUE">
        <dbms type="oracle"/>
    </preConditions>
    <includeAll path="oracle/" relativeToChangelogFile="true"/>
</modifyChangeSets>

- modifyChangeSets:
    preConditions:
      onFail: CONTINUE
      onError: CONTINUE
      dbms:
        type: oracle
    includeAll:
      path: oracle/
      relativeToChangelogFile: true

{
  "modifyChangeSets": {
    "preConditions": {
      "onFail": "CONTINUE",
      "onError": "CONTINUE",
      "dbms": { "type": "oracle" }
    },
    "includeAll": { "path": "oracle/", "relativeToChangelogFile": "true" }
  }
}

<modifyChangeSets>
    <preConditions onFail="CONTINUE" onError="CONTINUE">
        <dbms type="oracle"/>
    </preConditions>
    <includeAll path="oracle/" relativeToChangelogFile="true"/>
</modifyChangeSets>

- modifyChangeSets:
    preConditions:
      onFail: CONTINUE
      onError: CONTINUE
      dbms:
        type: oracle
    includeAll:
      path: oracle/
      relativeToChangelogFile: true

{
  "modifyChangeSets": {
    "preConditions": {
      "onFail": "CONTINUE",
      "onError": "CONTINUE",
      "dbms": { "type": "oracle" }
    },
    "includeAll": { "path": "oracle/", "relativeToChangelogFile": "true" }
  }
}

Step 4: Run Liquibase

Run Liquibase against any target database. Changesets for non-matching platforms are automatically skipped.

liquibase --changelog-file=root-changelog.xml update