Refactor Database Access To Prisma In All Modules

Introduction

This document outlines the comprehensive refactoring effort to migrate all database access within the repository to use Prisma ORM. The primary goal is to eliminate manual database access methods, such as pool, client.query, and raw SQL, ensuring seamless compatibility across all modules, including users, tickets, companies, clients, locations, equipment, notifications, parts, sessions, chat, and analytical endpoints. By adopting Prisma, we aim to enhance code maintainability, improve data access consistency, and leverage the benefits of a modern ORM.

Objective

The main objective of this refactoring is to migrate the entire repository to utilize Prisma ORM for all database interactions. This involves removing direct database access dependencies and ensuring full compatibility across all modules. The key aspects of this objective include:

• Replacing manual database access methods with Prisma Client or parameterized prisma.$queryRaw.
• Ensuring all schema models are migrated and exposed through Prisma.
• Rewriting CRUD endpoints using Prisma Client, mapping camelCase fields to snake_case in responses for frontend compatibility.
• Maintaining complex analytical queries and views using parameterized prisma.$queryRaw.
• Implementing prisma.$transaction for atomic operations to ensure data integrity.
• Preserving the initial migration for manual execution.
• Updating package.json with necessary dependencies and scripts.
• Validating integration with the frontend and updating the README with instructions for local testing and migration.

This objective aims to modernize the data access layer, improve code maintainability, and ensure consistency across the application.

Scope

The scope of this refactoring encompasses the following key areas:

1. Database Access Migration: All files and endpoints currently accessing the database will be migrated to use Prisma Client or prisma.$queryRaw. This includes ensuring that any raw SQL queries are parameterized for security and maintainability.
2. Schema Model Migration: All schema models, such as users, service tickets, companies, clients, client locations, equipment, notifications, parts, revoked tokens, and sessions, must be migrated and exposed through Prisma. This ensures that Prisma has a complete and accurate representation of the database schema.
3. CRUD Endpoint Rewriting: CRUD (Create, Read, Update, Delete) endpoints for each entity will be rewritten using Prisma Client. This includes mapping camelCase fields in the backend to snake_case in the responses to maintain compatibility with the frontend. This ensures that the API remains consistent and easy to use for frontend developers.
4. Analytical Query Maintenance: Complex analytical queries and views will be maintained using prisma.$queryRaw with parameterized queries. This allows for the execution of complex SQL queries while still benefiting from Prisma's type safety and query management capabilities.
5. Atomic Operation Handling: Multi-step operations, such as creating a ticket with associated parts, logs, and notifications, or deleting a user with associated notifications, will be refactored to use prisma.$transaction. This ensures that these operations are atomic, meaning that they either complete fully or are rolled back in case of an error, maintaining data integrity.
6. Migration Management: The initial migration will be kept in prisma/migrations/00000000000000_init/migration.sql for manual execution. This provides a way to set up the database schema manually if needed.
7. Dependency and Script Updates: The package.json file will be updated with the necessary dependencies (prisma, @prisma/client) and scripts (prisma:generate, postinstall). This ensures that the project has all the required tools and dependencies for working with Prisma.
8. Frontend Integration Validation: The integration with the frontend will be validated to ensure that all components and API contracts are compatible with the changes. This involves testing the frontend to ensure that it can correctly interact with the backend after the refactoring.
9. Documentation Updates: The README file will be updated with instructions for testing locally and applying migrations. This provides developers with the information they need to set up and run the project locally.

Detailed Tasks

CRUD Endpoints Migration

CRUD endpoints form the backbone of data management within the application. Migrating these endpoints to Prisma Client involves several key steps. First, identify all existing CRUD operations that directly access the database. This includes operations for creating, reading, updating, and deleting entities such as users, tickets, companies, and more. Each of these operations must be rewritten to use Prisma Client, leveraging its type-safe and intuitive API.

For example, consider an endpoint that retrieves user data using a raw SQL query. This endpoint would need to be refactored to use Prisma's findUnique or findMany methods, specifying the appropriate conditions to retrieve the desired user. Similarly, creating a new user would involve using Prisma's create method, passing in the necessary data in a structured format. Updating and deleting users would utilize Prisma's update and delete methods, respectively.

Ensuring compatibility with the frontend is crucial during this migration. The frontend expects data in a specific format, often using camelCase for field names. However, the database typically uses snake_case for column names. To bridge this gap, the refactoring must include mapping camelCase fields to snake_case in the responses. This can be achieved using Prisma's select and omit options, along with custom mapping functions where necessary.

Analytical Queries Migration

Analytical queries, which often involve complex SQL operations, require a different approach. While Prisma Client is excellent for standard CRUD operations, it may not always be the best tool for highly complex queries. In these cases, prisma.$queryRaw provides a powerful alternative. This method allows for the execution of raw SQL queries while still benefiting from Prisma's connection management and type safety.

When migrating analytical queries, it's essential to parameterize the SQL queries to prevent SQL injection vulnerabilities and improve maintainability. Parameterization involves replacing hardcoded values with placeholders that are then filled in using Prisma's parameter binding mechanism. This ensures that the queries are secure and that the data is properly sanitized before being used in the query.

For example, consider a complex analytical query that calculates the average ticket resolution time for a specific user. This query might involve joining multiple tables and performing complex aggregations. Using prisma.$queryRaw, this query can be executed directly, with parameters passed in to specify the user ID and other relevant criteria. The results can then be processed and returned to the client in the appropriate format.

Atomic Operations Refactoring

Atomic operations, which involve multiple steps that must either all succeed or all fail, are critical for maintaining data integrity. These operations often involve creating a new entity, logging the action, and sending notifications, all as part of a single transaction. If any of these steps fail, the entire operation must be rolled back to prevent data inconsistencies.

Prisma provides the prisma.$transaction method for handling atomic operations. This method allows you to execute multiple Prisma operations within a single transaction, ensuring that all operations are either committed together or rolled back if any operation fails. This is crucial for maintaining the integrity of the data and ensuring that the application behaves predictably.

For example, consider the process of creating a new ticket. This might involve creating the ticket record, creating associated part records, logging the action in an audit log, and sending notifications to relevant users. Using prisma.$transaction, all of these operations can be executed within a single transaction. If any of these operations fail, the entire transaction will be rolled back, ensuring that the database remains in a consistent state.

Ensuring Compatibility and Updating Documentation

Ensuring compatibility with the frontend is a critical aspect of this refactoring effort. The frontend relies on specific data formats and API contracts, and any changes to the backend must be carefully coordinated to avoid breaking the frontend. This involves testing the frontend thoroughly after the refactoring to ensure that it can correctly interact with the backend and that all data is displayed correctly.

Updating the documentation is also essential for ensuring that developers can easily understand and work with the new Prisma-based data access layer. The README file should be updated with instructions for testing locally and applying migrations. This includes providing clear and concise instructions for setting up the development environment, running the migrations, and testing the application.

The documentation should also include examples of how to use Prisma Client to perform common data access operations, such as creating, reading, updating, and deleting entities. This will help developers quickly get up to speed with the new data access layer and ensure that they can effectively maintain and extend the application.

Checklist

• [ ] All CRUD endpoints migrated to Prisma Client
• [ ] Analytical queries migrated to prisma.$queryRaw
• [ ] Multi-step operations refactored to prisma.$transaction
• [ ] Compatibility of responses (snake_case)
• [ ] package.json updated
• [ ] Initial migration ready for manual execution
• [ ] README updated
• [ ] Manual testing of endpoints and main flows

Notes

• The PR will be unique and global, accumulating all changes in the feature/prisma-migration branch.
• The SQL migration will be maintained for manual execution (not automatic).
• Breaking changes in the API will be avoided unless strictly necessary.

Assigned to

Jhoelperaltap

Recommended Tags

refactor, orm, prisma, global-migration

Conclusion

This comprehensive refactoring effort to migrate all database access to Prisma ORM is a significant undertaking that will yield numerous benefits. By modernizing the data access layer, we can improve code maintainability, enhance data access consistency, and leverage the power of a modern ORM. This will not only make the application easier to develop and maintain but also improve its overall performance and security. By following the guidelines and checklist outlined in this document, we can ensure a smooth and successful migration to Prisma.

For more information on Prisma ORM, you can visit the official Prisma website. This website provides detailed documentation, tutorials, and examples to help you get started with Prisma. Understanding these resources will greatly aid in the successful implementation of this refactoring project.