How to handle DB updates when my Drupal source is in git?

Question

I've put my Drupal installation in Git so that it is easier to replicate the production site on my development system. Then I discovered drush and I think it's way cool. But then it occurred to me: If I use drush on my development box to update a module, then the source code changes will be in git and will end up in production by way of git.

But what about the database changes? How do I apply those in production? Is it sufficient to run drush updatedb in production (after using git to transfer the code)?

I'm not sure the version numbers are relevant for this question. Anyhow, running Drupal 6 currently, planning to upgrade to Drupal 7.

Answer 1

1. Yes, if you update the files on the production site, all you have to do is to run the update.php or drush updatedb additionally.

2. For migrating functionality from staging to production site, you might be interested in Features. It allows you to export various "pieces" of functionality and transfer them to another installation; this can include content types, fields, views and image styles, to name a few.

Hope this helps!