The question that cleaned up database migration rehearsal

Help me turn a risky schema change into staged, measurable deployment steps.

Context:

• Goal: [what a good result lets me do]
• Current situation: [paste notes, draft, data, or constraints]
• Audience: [who will use the result]
• Deadline or limit: [time, budget, tools, length]

Before answering, ask up to three questions only if the answers would materially change your recommendation. Otherwise, state your assumptions and continue.

Give me:

1. A practical first pass I can use now
2. The main trade-offs or risks
3. The smallest check or test to run next
4. What information would change your answer

If a fact is missing, label the gap instead of inventing a detail. Use direct language. Keep the result specific to the context I provide.

That is the version I kept. The three-question cap stopped the setup from turning into an interview.