supabase-schema-from-requirements

---
name: supabase-schema-from-requirements
description: Design Supabase Postgres schema from business requirements with migrations,
license: MIT
---

# Supabase Schema from Requirements

## Overview

Translate business requirements into a production-ready Postgres schema inside Supabase. This skill covers the full path from specification document to applied migration: entity extraction, table creation with proper data types and constraints, Row Level Security policies, performance indexes, timestamp triggers, and TypeScript type generation. It is the highest-leverage activity in the early stages of any Supabase project because every downstream feature (auth, storage, realtime, edge functions) depends on well-designed tables.

## Prerequisites

- Supabase CLI installed (`npm install -g supabase`) and project linked (`supabase link`)
- `@supabase/supabase-js` v2+ installed in the project
- Business requirements, PRD, or specification document identifying entities and access rules
- Local Supabase running (`supabase start`) or a linked remote project

## Instructions

### Step 1: Parse Requirements and Create Migration

Read the requirements document and extract entities, attributes, relationships, and access control rules. Map each entity to a Postgres table.

**Entity extraction example** (project management app):

| Entity | Key Columns | Relationships |
|--------|------------|---------------|
| Organization | name, slug, plan | has many Projects, has many Members |
| Project | name, description, status | belongs to Organization, has many Tasks |
| Task | title, priority, status, due_date | belongs to Project, assigned to User |
| Member | role (owner/admin/member) | junction linking User to Organization |

Create the migration file:

```bash
npx supabase migration new create_tables
# Creates: supabase/migrations/<timestamp>_create_tables.sql
```

Write the migration SQL using standard Postgres data types (`uuid`, `text`, `integer`, `boolean`, `timestamptz`, `jsonb`):

```sql
-- supabase/migrations/<timestamp>_create_tables.sql

-- Enable required extensions
create extension if not exists "uuid-ossp";
create extension if not exists "moddatetime";

-- Organizations
create table public.organizations (
  id uuid default uuid_generate_v4() primary key,
  name text not null,
  slug text unique not null,
  plan text default 'free' check (plan in ('free', 'pro', 'enterprise')),
  metadata jsonb default '{}'::jsonb,
  created_at timestamptz default now() not null,
  updated_at timestamptz default now() not null
);

-- Organization members (junction table)
create table public.members (
  id uuid default uuid_generate_v4() primary key,
  organization_id uuid references public.organizations(id) on delete cascade not null,
  user_id uuid references auth.users(id) on delete cascade not null,
  role text default 'member' check (role in ('owner', 'admin', 'member')),
  created_at timestamptz default now() not null,
  unique (organization_id, user_id)
);

-- Projects
create table public.projects (
  id uuid default uuid_generate_v4() primary key,
  organization_id uuid references public.organizations(id) on delete cascade not null,
  name text not null,
  description text,
  status text default 'active' check (status in ('active', 'archived', 'deleted')),
  settings jsonb default '{}'::jsonb,
  created_at timestamptz default now() not null,
  updated_at timestamptz default now() not null
);

-- Tasks
create table public.tasks (
  id uuid default uuid_generate_v4() primary key,
  project_id uuid references public.projects(id) on delete cascade not null,
  assigned_to uuid references auth.users(id) on delete set null,
  title text not null,
  description text,
  priority integer default 0 check (priority between 0 and 4),
  status text default 'todo' check (status in ('todo', 'in_progress', 'done', 'cancelled')),
  due_date date,
  tags text[] default '{}',
  created_at timestamptz default now() not null,
  updated_at timestamptz default now() not null
);

-- Indexes for common query patterns
create index idx_members_user on public.members(user_id);
create index idx_members_org on public.members(organization_id);
create index idx_projects_org on public.projects(organization_id);
create index idx_tasks_project on public.tasks(project_id);
create index idx_tasks_assigned on public.tasks(assigned_to);
create index idx_tasks_status on public.tasks(status) where status not in ('done', 'cancelled');
create index idx_tasks_due on public.tasks(due_date) where due_date is not null;
create index idx_orgs_slug on public.organizations(slug);

-- Automatic updated_at triggers via moddatetime extension
create trigger handle_updated_at before update on public.organizations
  for each row execute procedure moddatetime(updated_at);
create trigger handle_updated_at before update on public.projects
  for each row execute procedure moddatetime(updated_at);
create trigger handle_updated_at before update on public.tasks
  for each row execute procedure moddatetime(updated_at);
```

**Data type selection guide:**

| Use case | Type | Notes |
|----------|------|-------|
| Primary keys | `uuid` | Always with `uuid_generate_v4()` default |
| Names, titles | `text` | Prefer over `varchar` in Postgres |
| Counts, ranks | `integer` | Use `bigint` for sequences |
| Flags | `boolean` | Default explicitly to `true` or `false` |
| Timestamps | `timestamptz` | Never use `timestamp` without timezone |
| Flexible data | `jsonb` | Queryable JSON; use for settings, metadata |
| Lists | `text[]` | Postgres arrays for simple tags or labels |

### Step 2: Add Row Level Security Policies

Every table exposed to the client must have RLS enabled. Write helper functions first to avoid repeating authorization logic across policies.

```sql
-- Helper: check if user is a member of an organization
create or replace function public.is_org_member(org_id uuid)
returns boolean as $$
  select exists (
    select 1 from public.members
    where organization_id = org_id
    and user_id = auth.uid()
  );
$$ language sql security definer stable;

-- Helper: check if user is org admin or owner
create or replace function public.is_org_admin(org_id uuid)
returns boolean as $$
  select exists (
    select 1 from public.members
    where organization_id = org_id
    and user_id = auth.uid()
    and role in ('owner', 'admin')
  );
$$ language sql security definer stable;

-- Organizations RLS
alter table public.organizations enable row level security;

create policy "Users read own orgs"
  on public.organizations for select
  using (public.is_org_member(id));

create policy "Authenticated users create orgs"
  on public.organizations for insert
  with check (auth.uid() is not null);

create policy "Admins update orgs"
  on public.organizations for update
  using (public.is_org_admin(id));

create policy "Owners delete orgs"
  on public.organizations for delete
  using (
    exists (
      select 1 from public.members
      where organization_id = id
      and user_id = auth.uid()
      and role = 'owner'
    )
  );

-- Members RLS
alter table public.members enable row level security;

create policy "Members view org roster"
  on public.members for select
  using (public.is_org_member(organization_id));

create policy "Admins manage members"
  on public.members for all
  using (public.is_org_admin(organization_id));

-- Projects RLS
alter table public.projects enable row level security;

create policy "Members view projects"
  on public.projects for select
  using (public.is_org_member(organization_id));

create policy "Admins manage projects"
  on public.projects for all
  using (public.is_org_admin(organization_id));

-- Tasks RLS
alter table public.tasks enable row level security;

create policy "Members view tasks"
  on public.tasks for select
  using (
    exists (
      select 1 from public.projects p
      where p.id = project_id
      and public.is_org_member(p.organization_id)
    )
  );

create policy "Members create tasks"
  on public.tasks for insert
  with check (
    exists (
      select 1 from public.projects p
      where p.id = project_id
      and public.is_org_member(p.organization_id)
    )
  );

create policy "Assignee or admin updates tasks"
  on public.tasks for update
  using (
    assigned_to = auth.uid()
    or exists (
      select 1 from public.projects p
      where p.id = project_id
      and public.is_org_admin(p.organization_id)
    )
  );
```

**RLS policy naming convention:** Use short, descriptive names that state who and what action: `"Users read own"`, `"Admins manage members"`, `"Assignee updates tasks"`.

### Step 3: Apply Migration and Generate Types

```bash
# Apply migration locally
npx supabase db reset

# Or push to a linked remote project
npx supabase db push

# Generate TypeScript types from the live schema
npx supabase gen types typescript --local > types/supabase.ts
```

Use the generated types with the Supabase client:

```typescript
import { createClient } from '@supabase/supabase-js'
import type { Database } from './types/supabase'

const supabase = createClient<Database>(
  process.env.NEXT_PUBLIC_SUPABASE_URL!,
  process.env.NEXT_PUBLIC_SUPABASE_ANON_KEY!
)

// Typed insert
const { data: org, error } = await supabase
  .from('organizations')
  .insert({ name: 'Acme Corp', slug: 'acme', plan: 'pro' })
  .select()
  .single()

// Typed select with foreign key join
const { data: tasks } = await supabase
  .from('tasks')
  .select('*, project:project_id(name, organization_id)')
  .eq('status', 'todo')
  .order('due_date', { ascending: true })

// Nested join across multiple tables
const { data: orgWithProjects } = await supabase
  .from('organizations')
  .select(`
    id, name, slug,
    projects:projects(
      id, name, status,
      tasks:tasks(id, title, status, assigned_to)
    )
  `)
  .eq('slug', 'acme')
  .single()
```

Verify RLS is working:

```typescript
// This should return only rows the authenticated user can see
const { data, error } = await supabase.from('organizations').select('*')

if (error) {
  console.error('RLS check failed:', error.message)
}
console.log(`User can see ${data?.length ?? 0} organizations`)
```

## Output

- SQL migration file under `supabase/migrations/` with all tables, constraints, and indexes
- RLS policies matching the access control rules from requirements
- Helper functions (`is_org_member`, `is_org_admin`) for reusable authorization checks
- `moddatetime` triggers for automatic `updated_at` management
- Generated TypeScript types at `types/supabase.ts` for type-safe client queries
- Partial indexes on frequently filtered columns (status, due_date)

## Error Handling

| Error | Cause | Solution |
|-------|-------|----------|
| `42P07: relation already exists` | Table name collision in migration | Use `create table if not exists` or rename the table |
| `23503: foreign key violation` | Insert references a nonexistent parent row | Insert parent rows first, or check the UUID |
| `42501: insufficient privilege` | RLS helper function permissions | Add `security definer` to the function definition |
| `42883: function uuid_generate_v4() does not exist` | Extension not enabled | Add `create extension if not exists "uuid-ossp"` |
| `supabase db push` succeeds but tables missing | Migration was already recorded | Check `supabase_migrations.schema_migrations` and repair |
| `PGRST204: column not found` | TypeScript types out of sync | Re-run `npx supabase gen types typescript --local > types/supabase.ts` |
| `new row violates row-level security` | RLS policy blocks the operation | Verify `auth.uid()` matches expected value; check policy `using` clause |
| `moddatetime` trigger fails | Extension not enabled | Add `create extension if not exists "moddatetime"` at top of migration |

## Examples

**E-commerce schema** (different domain, same pattern):

```sql
create table public.products (
  id uuid default uuid_generate_v4() primary key,
  store_id uuid references public.stores(id) on delete cascade not null,
  name text not null,
  price integer not null check (price >= 0),  -- cents
  currency text default 'usd',
  inventory integer default 0 check (inventory >= 0),
  metadata jsonb default '{}'::jsonb,
  is_active boolean default true,
  created_at timestamptz default now() not null,
  updated_at timestamptz default now() not null
);

alter table public.products enable row level security;

create policy "Anyone reads active products"
  on public.products for select
  using (is_active = true);

create policy "Store owners manage products"
  on public.products for all
  using (
    exists (
      select 1 from public.stores s
      where s.id = store_id and s.owner_id = auth.uid()
    )
  );

create trigger handle_updated_at before update on public.products
  for each row execute procedure moddatetime(updated_at);
```

**Querying the e-commerce schema from the client:**

```typescript
// Products with store info
const { data: products } = await supabase
  .from('products')
  .select('*, store:store_id(name, slug)')
  .eq('is_active', true)
  .gte('inventory', 1)
  .order('price', { ascending: true })
  .limit(20)
```

## Resources

- [Row Level Security Guide](https://supabase.com/docs/guides/database/postgres/row-level-security)
- [Database Migrations](https://supabase.com/docs/guides/deployment/database-migrations)
- [Supabase CLI Reference](https://supabase.com/docs/reference/cli)
- [JavaScript Client — Select](https://supabase.com/docs/reference/javascript/select)
- [TypeScript Support](https://supabase.com/docs/guides/api/rest/generating-types)
- [PostgreSQL Data Types](https://www.postgresql.org/docs/current/datatype.html)

## Next Steps

For auth integration, file storage, and realtime subscriptions on top of this schema, proceed to `supabase-auth-storage-realtime-core`.