Row versioning in MySQL

Question

I would like to include an integer version field in my table, auto-incrementing on each update made to a row. Is it possible to do this in MySQL?

Please note that I'm not talking about a TIMESTAMP, which is not reliable as two concurrent updates might happen during the same second.

What is the use exactly? All it will tell you is the number of times a particular row has been updated. You can't revert to a previous version. — Jai, Jun 09 '11 at 10:52

score 3 · Answer 1 · answered Jun 09 '11 at 10:47

3

Yes it is. The more general problem is called slowly changing dimensions.

answered Jun 09 '11 at 10:47

Denis de Bernardy

Interesting reading, but not answering the specific question. Or should I rephrase my question: *how* to do it? :) – BenMorel Jun 13 '11 at 15:40
http://stackoverflow.com/questions/6318317/temporal-database-design-with-a-twist-live-vs-draft-rows – Denis de Bernardy Jun 13 '11 at 16:00

score 2 · Accepted Answer · answered Jun 09 '11 at 11:24

2

The only way (I can think of) to do this is a (before-update) trigger that automatically increments the column value.

answered Jun 09 '11 at 11:24

2 Answers2