wheels db reset

Reset the database by dropping it and recreating it from scratch.

Synopsis

wheels db reset [--datasource=<name>] [--environment=<env>] [--force] [--skip-seed] [--seed-count=<n>]

Description

The wheels db reset command completely rebuilds your database by executing four operations in sequence:

1. Drops the existing database (wheels db drop)

2. Creates a new database (wheels db create)

3. Runs all migrations (wheels dbmigrate latest)

4. Seeds the database with sample data (wheels db seed)

This is a destructive operation that will delete all existing data.

Options

--datasource=

Specify which datasource to use. If not provided, uses the default datasource from your Wheels configuration.

wheels db reset --datasource=myapp_dev

--environment=

Specify the environment to use. Defaults to the current environment.

wheels db reset --environment=testing

--force

Skip the confirmation prompt. Use with caution!

wheels db reset --force

--skip-seed

Skip the database seeding step.

wheels db reset --skip-seed

--seed-count=

Number of records to generate per model when seeding. Defaults to 5.

wheels db reset --seed-count=20

Examples

Basic Usage

Reset with confirmation:

wheels db reset
# Will prompt: Are you sure you want to reset the database? Type 'yes' to confirm:

Force Reset

Reset without confirmation:

wheels db reset --force

Reset Test Database

wheels db reset --datasource=myapp_test --environment=testing --force

Reset Without Seeding

wheels db reset --skip-seed --force

Safety Features

1. Confirmation Required: Must type "yes" to confirm (unless --force)

2. Production Warning: Extra warning for production environment

3. Special Production Confirmation: Must type "reset production database" for production

Warning

This operation is irreversible! All data will be permanently lost.

Common Use Cases

Development Reset

# When you need a fresh start
wheels db reset --force --seed-count=50

Before Major Changes

# Backup first
wheels db dump --output=backup-before-reset.sql

# Then reset
wheels db reset

Automated Testing

# In test scripts
wheels db reset --environment=testing --force --skip-seed

What Happens

1. Drop Database

   • All tables and data are deleted

   • Database is completely removed

2. Create Database

   • Fresh database is created

   • Character set and collation are set (MySQL)

3. Run Migrations

   • All migrations run from scratch

   • Schema is recreated

4. Seed Database (unless --skip-seed)

   • Sample data is generated

   • Useful for development/testing

Error Recovery

If reset fails partway through:

# Manual recovery steps
wheels db drop --force        # Ensure old database is gone
wheels db create             # Create new database
wheels dbmigrate latest      # Run migrations
wheels db seed              # Seed data (optional)

Best Practices

1. Always backup production data first

2. Use --force only in automated scripts

3. Avoid resetting production databases

4. Use db setup for new databases instead

Related Commands

• wheels db setup - Setup new database (non-destructive)

• wheels db drop - Just drop database

• wheels db dump - Backup before reset

• wheels dbmigrate reset - Reset just migrations