How does your thick-client test whether it is compatible with the database schema?

Question

I develop an app with both thick-client and thin-client components. We also version our database such that schema changes result in their own version number and change scripts can be applied. Database changes, however, don't always occur in step with thick-client changes. Yes, today's database change might add a column and necessitate a in the thick-client, but tomorrow's database change might fix an error in a stored procedure that does not require any external changes. How can I code the thick-client to test whether it is compatible with a specific database version when some are backwards compatible and some are not?

In the even that anyone cares, ours is a .NET app integrating with SQL Server, but this seems like more of a versioning question than a platform question. Unless there is a platform specific solution ...

Answer 1

Could you adopt a major/minor version number scheme?

A change in major number implies that clients need updating, and change in minor number does not.

Answer 2

With any of these, version numbers are always increasing.

If the database knows the minimum client version it requires, and the client knows the minimum database version it requires, it's a simple check to determine what needs upgrading (if anything) -- now whether you encapsulate the logic in a stored procedure, or in code, that's your decision...

Answer 3

You can create a table, ex. metadata with two string columns, and put there an entry (or more entries) with the current version of the schema. I suppose that you do something similar now.

And split the version to two numbers (like major/minor scheme). When you change the schema in non-backwards compatibile way then you increse the major version. After backward compatible change you just update minor version.

Major is used by app to check if it is compatible with the current schema, and major+minor is used to check if you can/need to update the schema.

I think this is the solution that is used by most applications.