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Schema evolution enables non-breaking modifications to a database table’s structure — such as adding columns, altering data types, or dropping fields — to adapt to evolving data requirements without service interruptions. LanceDB supports ACID-compliant schema evolution through granular operations (add/alter/drop columns), allowing you to:
  • Iterate Safely: Modify schemas in production with versioned datasets and backward compatibility
  • Scale Seamlessly: Handle ML model iterations, regulatory changes, or feature additions
  • Optimize Continuously: Remove unused fields or enforce new constraints without downtime

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Schema evolution operations

LanceDB supports three primary schema evolution operations:
  1. Adding new columns: Extend your table with additional attributes
  2. Altering existing columns: Change column names, data types, or nullability
  3. Dropping columns: Remove unnecessary columns from your schema
Schema evolution operations are applied immediately but do not typically require rewriting all data. However, data type changes may involve more substantial operations.

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Add new columns

You can add new columns to a table with the add_columns method in Python, addColumns in TypeScript/JavaScript, or add_columns in Rust. New columns are populated based on SQL expressions you provide.

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Set up the example table

First, let’s create a sample table with product data to demonstrate schema evolution:

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Add derived columns

You can add new columns that are derived from existing data using SQL expressions:

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Add columns with default values

Add boolean columns with default values for status tracking:

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Add nullable columns

Add timestamp columns that can contain NULL values:
When adding columns that should contain NULL values, be sure to cast the NULL to the appropriate type, e.g., cast(NULL as timestamp).

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Alter existing columns

You can alter columns using the alter_columns method in Python, alterColumns in TypeScript/JavaScript, or alter_columns in Rust. This allows you to:
  • Rename a column
  • Change a column’s data type
  • Modify nullability (whether a column can contain NULL values)

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Set up the example table

Create a table with a custom schema to demonstrate column alterations:

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Rename columns

Change column names to better reflect their purpose:

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Change data types

Convert column data types for better performance or compatibility:

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Make columns nullable

You can alter columns to contain NULL values:

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Multiple changes at once

Apply several alterations in a single operation:

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Expression-based type changes

For transformations that are not simple casts (for example, converting "$100" to an integer), use a SQL-expression column add, then drop and rename:

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Alter embedding types and dimensions

It’s quite common to need to change an embedding column’s schema, in case a new model becomes available with a different embedding dimension.
  • In Python, the example shows an in-place type update when the cast is compatible.
  • In TypeScript and Rust, the example shows a dimension change (384 -> 1024), which cannot be cast in-place.
For dimension changes, use this 3-step pattern: add a new column with the target type, drop the old column, then rename the new column to the original name.
FixedSizeList Dimension Changes in TypeScript and RustalterColumns / alter_columns can cast between compatible types, but changing FixedSizeList dimensions (for example 384 -> 1024) is not a compatible cast. For such cases, use addColumns / add_columns (with arrow_cast), then dropColumns / drop_columns, then rename the replacement column.
Changing data types requires rewriting the column data and may be resource-intensive for large tables. Renaming columns or changing nullability is more efficient as it only updates metadata.

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Drop columns

You can remove columns using the drop_columns method in Python, dropColumns in TypeScript/JavaScript, or drop_columns in Rust.

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Set Up the example table

Create a table with temporary columns that we’ll remove:

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Drop single columns

Remove individual columns that are no longer needed:

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Drop multiple columns

Remove several columns at once for efficiency:
Dropping columns cannot be undone. Make sure you have backups or are certain before removing columns.