Manage SQL entities in Laravel with ease!

Laravel's schema builder and migration system are great for managing tables and indexes---but offer no built-in support for other SQL entities, such as (materialized) views, procedures, functions, and triggers. These often get handled via raw SQL in migrations, making them hard to manage, prone to unknown conflicts, and difficult to track over time.

laravel-sql-entities solves this by offering:

• 📦 Class-based definitions: bringing views, functions, triggers, and more into your application code.
• 🧠 First-class source control: you can easily track changes, review diffs, and resolve conflicts.
• 🧱 Decoupled grammars: letting you support multiple drivers without needing dialect-specific SQL.
• 🔁 Lifecycle hooks: run logic at various points, enabling logging, auditing, and more.
• 🚀 Batch operations: easily create or drop all entities in a single command or lifecycle event.
• 🧪 Testability: definitions are just code so they’re easy to test, validate, and keep consistent.

Whether you're managing reporting views, business logic functions, or automation triggers, this package helps you treat SQL entities like real, versioned parts of your codebase---no more scattered SQL in migrations!

Note

Migration rollbacks are not supported since the definitions always reflect the latest state.

"We're never going backwards. You only go forward." -Taylor Otwell

📦 Installation

First pull in the package using Composer:

composer require calebdw/laravel-sql-entities

Optionally, publish the configuration file:

php artisan vendor:publish --tag=sql-entities-config

The package looks for SQL entities under database/entities/ so you might need to add a namespace to your composer.json file, for example:

{
  "autoload": {
    "psr-4": {
      "App\\": "app/",
+     "Database\\Entities\\": "database/entities/",
      "Database\\Factories\\": "database/factories/",
      "Database\\Seeders\\": "database/seeders/"
    }
  }
}

Tip

This package looks for any files matching database/entities in the application's base path. This means it should automatically work for a modular setup where the entities might be spread across multiple directories.

Configuration

The package ships with a configuration file that controls automatic syncing behavior:

Option	Default	Description
sync	true	Automatically sync (refresh) entities whenever migrations run.
drop_on_migrate	false	Drop all entities before migrations start and recreate them after. When false (the default), entities are only refreshed after migrations finish.

Syncing on Migration

When sync is enabled (the default), SQL entities are automatically kept in sync whenever migrations run. This means you can simply create or update your entity classes and they'll be refreshed the next time you run php artisan migrate, no need to manually run sql-entities:create or sql-entities:refresh.

Entities are also refreshed when there are no pending migrations, ensuring any newly added or updated entity definitions are always applied.

drop_on_migrate Behavior

The drop_on_migrate option controls how entities are synced during migrations:

When disabled (the default): Entities are refreshed after migrations finish using CREATE OR REPLACE where possible. If a refresh fails due to a schema change (e.g., a column was removed that a view references), the entity is automatically dropped and recreated. For migrations that require specific entities to be absent, you can use the withoutEntities() method for more granular control.

When enabled: All entities are dropped before migrations begin and recreated after they finish. This prevents migration failures caused by dependent schema changes, but means entities will be unavailable while migrations are running.

Warning

If you run migrations while the application is still serving traffic (e.g., zero-downtime or rolling deployments), enabling drop_on_migrate will cause SQL errors for any requests that depend on those entities until migrations complete and the entities are recreated.

🛠️ Usage

🧱 SQL Entities

To get started, create a new class in a database/entities/ directory (structure is up to you) and extend the appropriate entity class (e.g. View, etc.).

For example, to create a view for recent orders, you might create the following class:

<?php

namespace Database\Entities\Views;

use App\Models\Order;
use CalebDW\SqlEntities\View;
use Illuminate\Database\Query\Builder;
use Override;

// will create a view named `recent_orders_view`
class RecentOrdersView extends View
{
    #[Override]
    public function definition(): Builder|string
    {
        return Order::query()
            ->select(['id', 'customer_id', 'status', 'created_at'])
            ->where('created_at', '>=', now()->subDays(30))
            ->toBase();

        // could also use raw SQL
        return <<<'SQL'
            SELECT id, customer_id, status, created_at
            FROM orders
            WHERE created_at >= NOW() - INTERVAL '30 days'
            SQL;
    }
}

You can also override the name and connection:

<?php
class RecentOrdersView extends View
{
    protected ?string $name = 'other_name';
    // also supports schema
    protected ?string $name = 'other_schema.other_name';

    protected ?string $connection = 'other_connection';
}

🔁 Lifecycle Hooks

You can also use the provided lifecycle hooks to run logic before or after an entity is created or dropped. Returning false from the creating or dropping methods will prevent the entity from being created or dropped, respectively.

<?php
use Illuminate\Database\Connection;

class RecentOrdersView extends View
{
    // ...

    #[Override]
    public function creating(Connection $connection): bool
    {
        if (/** should not create */) {
            return false;
        }

        /** other logic */

        return true;
    }

    #[Override]
    public function created(Connection $connection): void
    {
        $this->connection->statement(<<<SQL
            GRANT SELECT ON TABLE {$this->name()} TO other_user;
            SQL);
    }

    #[Override]
    public function dropping(Connection $connection): bool
    {
        if (/** should not drop */) {
            return false;
        }

        /** other logic */

        return true;
    }

    #[Override]
    public function dropped(Connection $connection): void
    {
        /** logic */
    }
}

⚙️ Handling Dependencies

Entities may depend on one another (e.g., a view that selects from another view). To support this, each entity can declare its dependencies using the dependencies() method:

<?php

class RecentOrdersView extends View
{
    #[Override]
    public function dependencies(): array
    {
        return [OrdersView::class];
    }
}

The manager will ensure that dependencies are created in the correct order, using a topological sort behind the scenes. In the example above, OrdersView will be created before RecentOrdersView automatically.

📑 View

The View class is used to create views in the database. In addition to the options above, you can use the following options to further customize the view:

<?php

class RecentOrdersView extends View
{
    // to create a recursive view
    protected bool $recursive = true;
    // adds a `WITH CHECK OPTION` clause to the view
    protected string|true|null $checkOption = 'cascaded';
    // can provide explicit column listing
    protected ?array $columns = ['id', 'customer_id', 'status', 'created_at'];
}

Additionally, you can start a query against the view using the query() method:

<?php

RecentOrdersView::query()
    ->where('created_at', '>=', now()->subDays(30))
    ->get();

Indexed Views (SQL Server)

SQL Server supports indexed views, which store query results on disk and are automatically maintained by the engine (no manual refresh needed). You can create these using the existing View class with characteristics and a created() lifecycle hook:

<?php

namespace Database\Entities\Views;

use CalebDW\SqlEntities\View;
use Illuminate\Database\Connection;
use Override;

class ActiveUsersIndexedView extends View
{
    protected array $characteristics = ['WITH SCHEMABINDING'];

    #[Override]
    public function definition(): string
    {
        return <<<'SQL'
            SELECT id, name, email FROM dbo.users WHERE active = 1
            SQL;
    }

    #[Override]
    public function created(Connection $connection): void
    {
        $connection->statement(<<<SQL
            CREATE UNIQUE CLUSTERED INDEX IX_{$this->name()}
            ON dbo.{$this->name()}(id)
            SQL);
    }
}

💿 Materialized View

The MaterializedView class is used to create materialized views in the database.

Note

Materialized views are currently only supported on PostgreSQL. Other drivers will skip materialized view entities automatically.

In addition to the options above, you can use the following options to further customize the materialized view:

<?php

namespace Database\Entities\Views;

use CalebDW\SqlEntities\MaterializedView;
use Illuminate\Database\Query\Builder;
use Override;

class ActiveUsersView extends MaterializedView
{
    /** Whether to populate data on creation. */
    protected bool $withData = true;

    /** Whether to refresh concurrently (requires a unique index). */
    protected bool $concurrent = false;

    /** Explicit column listing. */
    protected ?array $columns = null;

    #[Override]
    public function definition(): Builder|string
    {
        return <<<'SQL'
            SELECT id, name, email
            FROM users
            WHERE active = true
            SQL;
    }
}

Just like regular views, you can query a materialized view directly:

ActiveUsersView::query()->where('name', 'like', '%John%')->get();

Refreshing data: Materialized views store their data on disk. To refresh the data (re-run the underlying query), use the refreshMaterializedData() method or the sql-entities:refresh-materialized-data command.

Self-scheduling: Materialized views can define their own refresh schedule using the schedule() method. Views with a schedule are automatically registered with Laravel's scheduler (with withoutOverlapping() enabled by default):

use CalebDW\SqlEntities\MaterializedView;
use CalebDW\SqlEntities\Support\Frequency;

class ActiveUsersView extends MaterializedView
{
    public function schedule(Frequency $refresh): ?Frequency
    {
        return $refresh->everyFifteenMinutes();
    }
}

Return null from schedule() (the default) to disable automatic scheduling.

Important

CREATE MATERIALIZED VIEW IF NOT EXISTS is used for creation, which means definition changes are not automatically applied. To update a materialized view's definition, use withoutEntities() in a migration to drop and recreate it.

Drop protection: Materialized views implement the RequiresExplicitDrop interface, which prevents them from being accidentally dropped during blanket operations like dropAll(). See the RequiresExplicitDrop section for details.

📐 Function

The Function_ class is used to create functions in the database.

Tip

The class is named Function_ as function is a reserved keyword in PHP.

In addition to the options above, you can use the following options to further customize the function:

<?php

namespace Database\Entities\Functions;

use CalebDW\SqlEntities\Function_;

class Add extends Function_
{
    /** If the function aggregates. */
    protected bool $aggregate = false;

    protected array $arguments = [
        'integer',
        'integer',
    ];

    /** The language the function is written in. */
    protected string $language = 'SQL';

    /** The function return type. */
    protected string $returns = 'integer';

    #[Override]
    public function definition(): string
    {
        return <<<'SQL'
            RETURN $1 + $2;
            SQL;
    }
}

Loadable functions are also supported:

<?php

namespace Database\Entities\Functions;

use CalebDW\SqlEntities\Function_;

class Add extends Function_
{
    protected array $arguments = [
        'integer',
        'integer',
    ];

    /** The language the function is written in. */
    protected string $language = 'c';

    protected bool $loadable = true;

    /** The function return type. */
    protected string $returns = 'integer';

    #[Override]
    public function definition(): string
    {
        return 'c_add';
    }
}

📤 Procedure

The Procedure class is used to create stored procedures in the database. In addition to the options above, you can use the following options to further customize the procedure:

<?php

namespace Database\Entities\Procedures;

use CalebDW\SqlEntities\Procedure;

class InsertLogProcedure extends Procedure
{
    protected array $arguments = [
        'message text',
    ];

    /** The language the procedure is written in. */
    protected string $language = 'SQL';

    #[Override]
    public function definition(): string
    {
        return <<<'SQL'
            INSERT INTO logs (message, created_at) VALUES (message, NOW());
            SQL;
    }
}

Note

SQLite does not support stored procedures. The grammar will skip procedure entities on SQLite connections.

⚡ Trigger

The Trigger class is used to create triggers in the database. In addition to the options above, you can use the following options to further customize the trigger:

<?php

namespace Database\Entities\Triggers;

use CalebDW\SqlEntities\Trigger;

class AccountAuditTrigger extends Trigger
{
    // if the trigger is a constraint trigger
    // PostgreSQL only
    protected bool $constraint = false;

    protected string $timing = 'AFTER';

    protected array $events = ['UPDATE'];

    protected string $table = 'accounts';

    #[Override]
    public function definition(): string
    {
        return $this->definition ?? <<<'SQL'
            EXECUTE FUNCTION record_account_audit();
            SQL;
    }
}

🧠 Manager

The SqlEntityManager singleton is responsible for creating and dropping SQL entities at runtime. You can interact with it directly, or use the SqlEntity facade for convenience.

<?php
use CalebDW\SqlEntities\Facades\SqlEntity;
use CalebDW\SqlEntities\SqlEntityManager;
use CalebDW\SqlEntities\View;

// Create a single entity by class or instance
SqlEntity::create(RecentOrdersView::class);
resolve(SqlEntityManager::class)->create(RecentOrdersView::class);
resolve('sql-entities')->create(new RecentOrdersView());

// Similarly, you can drop a single entity using the class or instance
SqlEntity::drop(RecentOrdersView::class);

// Create, drop, or refresh all entities
SqlEntity::createAll();
SqlEntity::dropAll();
SqlEntity::refreshAll();

// You can also filter by type or connection
SqlEntity::createAll(types: View::class, connections: 'reporting');
SqlEntity::dropAll(types: View::class, connections: 'reporting');
SqlEntity::refreshAll(types: View::class, connections: 'reporting');

// Refresh materialized view data
SqlEntity::refreshMaterializedData();
SqlEntity::refreshMaterializedData(entities: ActiveUsersView::class);
SqlEntity::refreshMaterializedData(concurrent: true);

♻️ withoutEntities()

Sometimes you need to run a block of logic (like renaming a table column) without certain SQL entities present. The withoutEntities() method temporarily drops the selected entities, executes your callback, and then recreates them afterward.

Tip

If the database connection supports schema transactions, the entire operation is wrapped in one.

<?php
use CalebDW\SqlEntities\Facades\SqlEntity;
use Illuminate\Database\Connection;

SqlEntity::withoutEntities(function (Connection $connection) {
    $connection->getSchemaBuilder()->table('orders', function ($table) {
        $table->renameColumn('old_customer_id', 'customer_id');
    });
});

You can also restrict the scope to certain entity types or connections:

<?php
use CalebDW\SqlEntities\Facades\SqlEntity;
use Illuminate\Database\Connection;

SqlEntity::withoutEntities(
    callback: function (Connection $connection) {
        $connection->getSchemaBuilder()->table('orders', function ($table) {
            $table->renameColumn('old_customer_id', 'customer_id');
        });
    },
    types: [RecentOrdersView::class, RecentHighValueOrdersView::class],
    connections: ['reporting'],
);

After the callback, all affected entities are automatically recreated in dependency order.

🛡 RequiresExplicitDrop

Most entities (views, functions, procedures, triggers) are cheap to drop and recreate: the operation is near-instant and the definitions live in your code. However, some entities are expensive to recreate. Materialized views, for example, store query results on disk; dropping one means the data is lost and must be recomputed on creation, which can take significant time for large datasets.

The RequiresExplicitDrop interface marks these expensive entities so they aren't accidentally dropped during blanket operations. MaterializedView implements this by default. Protected entities are only dropped when explicitly targeted or forced:

<?php
SqlEntity::dropAll();                                 // skips protected entities
SqlEntity::dropAll(force: true);                      // drops everything
SqlEntity::dropAll(types: MyMaterializedView::class); // drops it (explicitly named)
SqlEntity::drop(MyMaterializedView::class);           // always drops (directly targeted)

SqlEntity::withoutEntities(/** ... */);                                   // skips protected
SqlEntity::withoutEntities(/** ... */, types: MyMaterializedView::class); // includes it
SqlEntity::withoutEntities(/** ... */, force: true);                      // includes everything

You generally don't need to apply this interface to regular views, functions, procedures, or triggers. It's intended for entities where the cost of recreating is non-trivial.

💻 Console Commands

The package provides console commands to manage your SQL entities.

# Create all entities
php artisan sql-entities:create
# Create a specific entity
php artisan sql-entities:create 'Database\Entities\Views\RecentOrdersView'
# Create all entities on a specific connection
php artisan sql-entities:create -c reporting

# Drop all entities (skips RequiresExplicitDrop entities like materialized views)
php artisan sql-entities:drop
# Drop all entities including protected ones
php artisan sql-entities:drop --force

# Refresh all entities (attempts CREATE OR REPLACE, falls back to drop + create)
php artisan sql-entities:refresh
# Refresh all entities including protected ones in the fallback
php artisan sql-entities:refresh --force

# Refresh materialized view data
php artisan sql-entities:refresh-materialized-data
# Refresh a specific materialized view
php artisan sql-entities:refresh-materialized-data 'Database\Entities\Views\ActiveUsersView'
# Override concurrent setting
php artisan sql-entities:refresh-materialized-data --concurrent
php artisan sql-entities:refresh-materialized-data --no-concurrent

🤝 Contributing

Thank you for considering contributing! You can read the contribution guide here.

⚖️ License

This is open-sourced software licensed under the MIT license.

🔀 Alternatives

• laravel-sql-views
• laravel-migration-views