IS there any Tool or API to auto update a database structure
Just store database version number in the database and write migration scripts like this:
- database_10.sql - initial db structure
- database_10_15.sql - migration script to move from 1.0 to 1.5
- database_10_17.sql - migration script to move from 1.5 to 1.7
Check database version number on every application startup and apply needed migration scripts.
Side note:
Another appealing alternative to it also for small project is Component ACE Absolute Database.
Now direct to the point:
The personnal edition (Free) comes with a custom utility named DBManager (along with its source code).
It can serve as starting point to how to manage database structure change programmatically (the Delphi way!).
Why not port it to BlackFish?
I very rarely change Databases but just add a table or sometimes a colunm. When I startup my program it checks for the existance of said column or table and if it's not there it just tries to make it.