Netplace Client Management

Separating Environments and Moving SQLite to MySQL Without Rebuilding

Background & Cause

Client information was scattered across spreadsheets, documents, and owner-specific materials. Current and duplicate data were difficult to distinguish, which limited search, classification, and handover. The existing outsourced Python system used SQLite without separate local, development, and production environments.

Decision & Rationale

Because a full rebuild was costly, I retained the Python system and first improved the higher-risk runtime and database boundaries. Separating settings and secrets by environment isolated change impact. Server-based MySQL replaced file-based SQLite for independent per-environment databases and multi-user connections. Django `dumpdata/loaddata` preserved existing models and relationships as far as possible.

Outcome

Development changes no longer directly affect production data, enabling environment-specific testing and independent deployment. Comparing table counts and core CRUD screens before and after migration also verified that existing functions remained without data loss.

Retrospective

Rather than always rebuilding an existing system, preserve usable assets. Separating high-risk boundaries such as data and deployment in stages lowers both cost and transition risk.