ORM upgrade changes query semantics: pre-release and first 30 minutes checklists

An ORM or driver upgrade changes default query behaviour and returns different rows.

The pre-release checklist maps each item to a test class from the incident page. The first-30-minutes checklist covers detection, containment, the rollback decision and customer communication.

7 pre-release items · 6 first-30-minutes items · verified 2026-10-22

Pre-release checklist

PR-01Capture the SQL generated for every scoped association query before and after the ORM upgrade and diff the WHERE clauses. integration
PR-02Seed the integration database with at least two organisations and assert that an association query on one organisation returns none of the other's rows. integration
PR-03Run every bulk delete and bulk update with a filter field that is not in the schema and assert that zero documents are affected. integration
PR-04Assert the value of the strict query option per schema after the upgrade instead of relying on the library default. integration
PR-05Insert a row with an id beyond the int range, fetch it and save it, and assert that the ORM issues an UPDATE rather than an INSERT. integration
PR-06Assert that the recipient list of each bulk email query contains only addresses from the target organisation before the send step runs. integration
PR-07Read the changelog of the ORM release for changed defaults in scopes, filters and integer handling and add one test per changed default. integration

First 30 minutes

FM-01Stop the job or endpoint that runs the affected query, such as the bulk email send or the bulk delete.
FM-02Compare the SQL or filter generated now with the one generated before the upgrade to confirm the dropped condition.
FM-03Pin the ORM back to the previous version or set the changed default explicitly, whichever restores the missing condition faster.
FM-04Count the rows or documents the faulty query touched, using logs or a backup taken before the upgrade.
FM-05Restore deleted documents from the most recent backup if a bulk delete matched the whole collection.
FM-06Contact each customer whose data reached another customer and state which fields were exposed.

Download the checklist

Pre-release checklist (Markdown)1.5 KB · v1.0.0
First 30 minutes checklist (Markdown)1.0 KB · v1.0.0

Only in this checklist

Every test class in this checklist also appears in at least one sibling checklist in the group; the item texts differ: Capture the SQL generated for every scoped association query before and after the ORM upgrade and diff the WHERE clauses.

Questions

What should be checked before a release to prevent ORM upgrade changes query semantics?

7 pre-release items, PR-01 to PR-07. PR-01: Capture the SQL generated for every scoped association query before and after the ORM upgrade and diff the WHERE clauses.

Is there a rollback plan for ORM upgrade changes query semantics?

The first-30-minutes checklist has 6 items. FM-01: Stop the job or endpoint that runs the affected query, such as the bulk email send or the bulk delete.

What should a team do in the first 30 minutes after ORM upgrade changes query semantics is detected?

The first-30-minutes checklist has 6 items. FM-01: Stop the job or endpoint that runs the affected query, such as the bulk email send or the bulk delete.

Is a ORM upgrade changes query semantics checklist still needed if deployment is automated?

Yes. Automation runs the steps; the checklist names what the tests must cover: integration tests.

Which pipeline stages does the ORM upgrade changes query semantics checklist cover?

The pre-release items map to the pre-deploy stages.

In what formats can the ORM upgrade changes query semantics checklist be downloaded?

Both checklists download as Markdown files: /downloads/orm-upgrade-changes-query-semantics-pre-release.md and /downloads/orm-upgrade-changes-query-semantics-first-30-minutes.md, licensed CC BY 4.0.