How Do I Upgrade My Pre-populated Sqlite Database On My Device Without Re-creating Tables?

I have my code below. It correctly reads my sqlite database file(that i have already created using the SQLite Database Browser) in my assets folder - moves it to the /data/data/pac

Solution 1:

You have three options:

1. Use onUpgrade() (preferred)

2. Delete the existing database and copy the new one (not a good idea)

3. Copy the data in the existing database, delete the existing database, copy the new database, insert data from old database into new database (too much work when the new database schema can be upgraded in onUpgrade).

So, to answer your question, you upgrade your database in onUpgrade() without having to recreate any tables.

On the other hand, if you just added a new row to a particular table, the database schema has not changed and you can just insert the new row at runtime... of course, not knowing what your application's purpose is this may not be a good idea as you can easily lose track of changes to your "static" database.

Solution 2:

The "right" way to do things is quite different from how you've set out. Rather than go there, I'll assume you want to keep your current method of creating your database and I'll offer a suggestion to work with it. Add a table to your database which has a single row of meta data, which will include the database version (as well as anything else you like). If the database file already exists, open it and check the version. If the version is old, close it and replace it.