Maven validate

The validate goal checks and identifies any possible errors in a changelog file that may cause the update goal to fail.

Uses

Use the validate goal to detect if there are any issues with your changelog file before running the update goal. Validation helps you avoid a partial update, where only some changesets are applied due to an error in the changelog file.

The validate goal is to ensure:

  • The XML, YAML, JSON, or formatted SQL is structured correctly
  • Referenced files can be found
  • Any required or prohibited attributes are correct to your database
  • There are no duplicated id, author, and file combinations
  • There are no checksum errors

Note: The validate goal only looks for possible errors in the changelog, it does not check for possible errors that might result from applying the changes to a specific database.

Maven configuration

You can configure Liquibase Maven in multiple ways. One way is to define your Liquibase configuration properties in the pom.xml file. To configure the pom.xml file, refer to Configuring Liquibase Attributes in your Maven POM File.

Tip: The Liquibase properties file and environment variables are the alternative options for Liquibase configuration. For more information about the Maven configuration, see Configuring Maven.

Running the validate Maven goal

Running the validate goal requires you to have a Maven project implemented with the changelog parameter specified.

Note: To include the changelog parameter to the pom.xml file, add <changelog-file>your changelog file</changelog-file>. Another option is to specify the parameter in the Liquibase properties file that is reference from pom.xml. Otherwise, specify the changelog at the command prompt.

To run the goal, type the following at your command prompt:

mvn liquibase:validate

The validate Maven goal produces one of the following outputs:

[ERROR] Validation Failed:
[ERROR]      1 changes have validation failures
[ERROR]           column 'type' is required for all columns, com/example/changelog.xml::22::sample
[INFO] No validation errors found.

validate Maven configuration attributes

Attribute Definition
liquibase.changeLogDirectory Specifies the directory where Liquibase can find your changelog file.
liquibase.changelog-file Specifies the changelog file for Liquibase to use.
liquibase.changelogCatalogName Specifies the catalog Liquibase will use to create your changelog tables.
liquibase.changelogSchemaName Specifies the schema Liquibase will use to create your changelog tables.
liquibase.clear-checksums [boolean] Forces checksums to be cleared from the DATABASECHANGELOG table. Default value: false.
liquibase.contexts Specifies which contexts Liquibase will execute. If you need multiple contexts, they can be separated by a comma. If a context is not specified, all contexts will be executed.
liquibase.databaseChangeLogLockTableName Specifies the table name to use for the DATABASECHANGELOGLOCK table.
liquibase.databaseChangeLogTableName Specifies the table name to use for the DATABASECHANGELOG table.
liquibase.databaseClass Specifies the database object class.
liquibase.defaultCatalogName Specifies the default catalog name to use for the database connection.
liquibase.defaultSchemaName Specifies the default schema name to use for the database connection.
liquibase.driver Specifies the driver class name to use for the database connection.
driverPropertiesFile Specifies the location of a JDBC connection properties file which contains properties that the driver uses.
liquibase.emptyPassword [boolean] Deprecated. Use an empty or null value for the password instead. Default value: false.
expressionVariables Specifies a map-based collection of changelog properties to apply.
expressionVars Specifies a property-based collection of changelog properties to apply.
liquibase.includeArtifact [boolean] Includes a Maven project artifact in the class loader that obtains the Liquibase file and changelog files. Default value is true.
liquibase.includeTestOutputDirectory [boolean] Includes the Maven test output directory in the class loader that obtains the Liquibase properties file and changelog files. Default value is true.
liquibase.labels Specifies which labels Liquibase will execute. If you need multiple labels or a complex expression, you can use a comma. If a label is not specified, all labels will be executed.
liquibase.liquibaseProLicenseKey Specifies your Liquibase Pro license key.
liquibase.outputDefaultCatalog [boolean] Specifies whether to ignore the catalog or database name. Default value: false.
liquibase.outputDefaultSchema [boolean] Specifies whether to ignore the schema name. Default value: false.
liquibase.password Specifies the database password for the database connection.
liquibase.propertyFile Specifies the Liquibase properties file to use for configuration, like liquibase.properties.
liquibase.propertyFileWillOverride [boolean] Values in the Liquibase properties file override settings provided by a Maven plugin. By default, if a property is explicitly specified, it is not overridden if it also appears in the properties file. Default value is false.
liquibase.propertyProviderClass Specifies the java.util.Properties property provider.
liquibase.server Specifies the server ID in the Maven settings.xml file to use during authentication.
liquibase.skip [boolean] Specifies the need to skip running Liquibase. We do not recommend using the liquibase.skip parameter, but you can use it if required. Default value: false.
systemProperties Specifies the list of system properties to pass to the database.
liquibase.url Specifies the database URL to execute Liquibase.
liquibase.username Specifies the database username for the database connection.
liquibase.verbose [boolean] Controls the amount of output detail when you call the plugin. Default value: false.