How to Specify a Database Schema in Spring Boot with Hibernate

How can I specify the database schema to be used by Spring Boot with Hibernate?

spring.datasource.url=jdbc:postgresql://localhost:5432/db_name

Specifying a database schema in a Spring Boot application using Hibernate and PostgreSQL can be a bit tricky due to the limitations of the JDBC URL format. However, there are clear methods and properties you can configure to set the schema appropriately.

# application.properties
spring.datasource.url=jdbc:postgresql://localhost:5432/db_name
spring.jpa.properties.hibernate.default_schema=your_schema_name

Causes

• PostgreSQL does not support specifying schemas directly in the JDBC URL.
• Hibernate default settings do not automatically target the desired schema when connecting to the database.

Solutions

• Set the schema using the 'hibernate.default_schema' property in 'application.properties'.
• For Spring Boot 2.0 or later, use 'spring.jpa.properties.hibernate.default_schema' in your properties file.

Mistake: Using 'hibernate.default_schema' without the prefix 'spring.jpa.properties.'

Solution: Ensure you're using the correct property prefix for Spring Boot: 'spring.jpa.properties.hibernate.default_schema'.

Mistake: Not checking for typos in the schema name or property keys.

Solution: Double-check your schema names and ensure they match exactly with what's in your PostgreSQL database.

Mistake: Forgetting to restart the application after making changes to the properties.

Solution: Always restart your Spring Boot application to apply any changes made in the 'application.properties' file.