Database Engineering
Schema design, safe migration generation, query optimization, and data lifecycle management across PostgreSQL, MySQL, SQLite, and MongoDB. Multi-ORM: SQLAlchemy, Prisma, TypeORM, Drizzle, Entity Framework, Diesel.
Process
Step 0 (load contexts): read .ai-engineering/manifest.yml providers.stacks; load .ai-engineering/overrides/<stack>/conventions.md for each stack and .ai-engineering/overrides/_shared/conventions.md; load .ai-engineering/team/*.md for team conventions.
Modes
design -- Schema Design
- Analyze data model -- entities, relationships, access patterns, data volume, growth projections.
- Apply normalization -- 3NF+ by default. Document denormalization decisions with rationale.
- Design schema -- tables, indexes, constraints, partitioning for large tables.
- Validate referential integrity -- every FK has a matching PK, cascade rules defined.
- Output: DDL script + entity relationship description.
migrate -- Safe Migrations
- Assess impact -- locking impact, backward compatibility, data volume affected.
- Use expand-contract -- for breaking changes (add new, migrate data, drop old).
- Generate forward migration -- with explicit transaction boundaries.
- Generate rollback migration -- ALWAYS required. No migration ships without rollback.
- Test migration -- verify on representative data volume.
- Output: forward script, rollback script, execution plan.
optimize -- Query Optimization
- Analyze execution plan --
EXPLAIN ANALYZE (PostgreSQL), EXPLAIN (MySQL).
- Identify bottlenecks -- sequential scans, missing indexes, N+1 patterns.
- Recommend indexes -- composite indexes based on query patterns, partial indexes for filtered queries.
- Connection pool tuning -- pool size, timeout, idle connection management.
- Output: optimized query, index recommendations, before/after execution plan.
lifecycle -- Data Lifecycle
- Retention policies -- define per-table retention based on regulatory requirements.
- Archival strategies -- partition-based archival, cold storage migration.
- GDPR compliance -- right to erasure procedures, data anonymization.
- Multi-DB architecture -- read replicas, caching layers, write distribution.
- Output: lifecycle policy document, archival procedures.
Common Mistakes
- Adding indexes without checking write impact -- indexes speed reads but slow writes.
- Running DDL without
--dry-run first -- destructive DDL requires explicit user approval.
Examples
Example — safe migration with backfill
User: "we need to add a soft-delete column to users with a backfill"
/ai-schema migrate
Generates up + down migration, default-backfill strategy, lock-impact analysis, rollback script, and a dry-run preview.
Integration
Calls: psql / mysql / sqlite3 / mongosh (verification). Triggers: /ai-security (injection pattern review). Integrates with: ORM migration systems (Alembic, Prisma Migrate, EF Migrations). See also: /ai-security, /ai-governance (destructive DDL approval).
References
.ai-engineering/manifest.yml -- governance rules for destructive operations.
$ARGUMENTS
1---2name: ai-schema3description: Designs schemas, plans safe migrations with rollback scripts, optimizes slow queries with index recommendations, defines data retention and GDPR right-to-erasure policies. Supports PostgreSQL, MySQL, SQLite, MongoDB. Trigger for 'add a column', 'we need a migration', 'the query is slow', 'define a retention policy', 'GDPR compliance for data'. Not for application-layer ORMs without DB schema; use /ai-code instead. Not for security audits; use /ai-security instead. Not for infrastructure provisioning — no infra skill exists.4---567# Database Engineering89Schema design, safe migration generation, query optimization, and data lifecycle management across PostgreSQL, MySQL, SQLite, and MongoDB. Multi-ORM: SQLAlchemy, Prisma, TypeORM, Drizzle, Entity Framework, Diesel.1011## Process1213Step 0 (load contexts): read `.ai-engineering/manifest.yml` `providers.stacks`; load `.ai-engineering/overrides/<stack>/conventions.md` for each stack and `.ai-engineering/overrides/_shared/conventions.md`; load `.ai-engineering/team/*.md` for team conventions.1415## Modes1617### design -- Schema Design18191. **Analyze data model** -- entities, relationships, access patterns, data volume, growth projections.202. **Apply normalization** -- 3NF+ by default. Document denormalization decisions with rationale.213. **Design schema** -- tables, indexes, constraints, partitioning for large tables.224. **Validate referential integrity** -- every FK has a matching PK, cascade rules defined.235. **Output**: DDL script + entity relationship description.2425### migrate -- Safe Migrations26271. **Assess impact** -- locking impact, backward compatibility, data volume affected.282. **Use expand-contract** -- for breaking changes (add new, migrate data, drop old).293. **Generate forward migration** -- with explicit transaction boundaries.304. **Generate rollback migration** -- ALWAYS required. No migration ships without rollback.315. **Test migration** -- verify on representative data volume.326. **Output**: forward script, rollback script, execution plan.3334### optimize -- Query Optimization35361. **Analyze execution plan** -- `EXPLAIN ANALYZE` (PostgreSQL), `EXPLAIN` (MySQL).372. **Identify bottlenecks** -- sequential scans, missing indexes, N+1 patterns.383. **Recommend indexes** -- composite indexes based on query patterns, partial indexes for filtered queries.394. **Connection pool tuning** -- pool size, timeout, idle connection management.405. **Output**: optimized query, index recommendations, before/after execution plan.4142### lifecycle -- Data Lifecycle43441. **Retention policies** -- define per-table retention based on regulatory requirements.452. **Archival strategies** -- partition-based archival, cold storage migration.463. **GDPR compliance** -- right to erasure procedures, data anonymization.474. **Multi-DB architecture** -- read replicas, caching layers, write distribution.485. **Output**: lifecycle policy document, archival procedures.4950## Common Mistakes5152- Adding indexes without checking write impact -- indexes speed reads but slow writes.53- Running DDL without `--dry-run` first -- destructive DDL requires explicit user approval.5455## Examples5657### Example — safe migration with backfill5859User: "we need to add a soft-delete column to users with a backfill"6061```62/ai-schema migrate63```6465Generates up + down migration, default-backfill strategy, lock-impact analysis, rollback script, and a dry-run preview.6667## Integration6869Calls: `psql` / `mysql` / `sqlite3` / `mongosh` (verification). Triggers: `/ai-security` (injection pattern review). Integrates with: ORM migration systems (Alembic, Prisma Migrate, EF Migrations). See also: `/ai-security`, `/ai-governance` (destructive DDL approval).7071## References7273- `.ai-engineering/manifest.yml` -- governance rules for destructive operations.7475$ARGUMENTS