Migrating from SwiftData to SQLiteData

When to Switch

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ Should I switch from SwiftData to SQLiteData?           │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│                                                         │
│  Performance problems with 10k+ records?                │
│    YES → SQLiteData (10-50x faster for large datasets)  │
│                                                         │
│  Need CloudKit record SHARING (not just sync)?          │
│    YES → SQLiteData (SwiftData cannot share records)    │
│                                                         │
│  Complex queries across multiple tables?                │
│    YES → SQLiteData + raw GRDB when needed              │
│                                                         │
│  Need Sendable models for Swift 6 concurrency?          │
│    YES → SQLiteData (value types, not classes)          │
│                                                         │
│  Testing @Model classes is painful?                     │
│    YES → SQLiteData (pure structs, easy to mock)        │
│                                                         │
│  Happy with SwiftData for simple CRUD?                  │
│    YES → Stay with SwiftData (simpler for basic apps)   │
│                                                         │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

---

Pattern Equivalents

SwiftData	SQLiteData
@Model class Item	@Table nonisolated struct Item
@Attribute(.unique)	@Column(primaryKey: true) or SQL UNIQUE
@Relationship var tags: [Tag]	var tagIDs: [Tag.ID] + join query
@Query var items: [Item]	@FetchAll var items: [Item]
@Query(sort: \.title)	@FetchAll(Item.order(by: \.title))
@Query(filter: #Predicate { $0.isActive })	@FetchAll(Item.where(\.isActive))
@Environment(\.modelContext)	@Dependency(\.defaultDatabase)
context.insert(item)	Item.insert { Item.Draft(...) }.execute(db)
context.delete(item)	Item.find(id).delete().execute(db)
try context.save()	Automatic in database.write { } block
ModelContainer(for:)	prepareDependencies { $0.defaultDatabase = }

---

Code Example

SwiftData (Before)

import SwiftData

@Model
class Task {
    var id: UUID
    var title: String
    var isCompleted: Bool
    var project: Project?

    init(title: String) {
        self.id = UUID()
        self.title = title
        self.isCompleted = false
    }
}

struct TaskListView: View {
    @Environment(\.modelContext) private var context
    @Query(sort: \.title) private var tasks: [Task]

    var body: some View {
        List(tasks) { task in
            Text(task.title)
        }
    }

    func addTask(_ title: String) {
        let task = Task(title: title)
        context.insert(task)
    }

    func deleteTask(_ task: Task) {
        context.delete(task)
    }
}

SQLiteData (After)

import SQLiteData

@Table
nonisolated struct Task: Identifiable {
    let id: UUID
    var title = ""
    var isCompleted = false
    var projectID: Project.ID?
}

struct TaskListView: View {
    @Dependency(\.defaultDatabase) var database
    @FetchAll(Task.order(by: \.title)) var tasks

    var body: some View {
        List(tasks) { task in
            Text(task.title)
        }
    }

    func addTask(_ title: String) {
        try database.write { db in
            try Task.insert {
                Task.Draft(title: title)
            }
            .execute(db)
        }
    }

    func deleteTask(_ task: Task) {
        try database.write { db in
            try Task.find(task.id).delete().execute(db)
        }
    }
}

Key differences:

• class → struct with nonisolated
• @Model → @Table
• @Query → @FetchAll
• @Environment(\.modelContext) → @Dependency(\.defaultDatabase)
• Implicit save → Explicit database.write { } block
• Direct init → .Draft type for inserts
• @Relationship → Explicit foreign key + join

---

CloudKit Sharing (SwiftData Can't Do This)

SwiftData supports CloudKit sync but NOT sharing. SQLiteData is the only Apple-native option for record sharing.

// 1. Setup SyncEngine with sharing
prepareDependencies {
    $0.defaultDatabase = try! appDatabase()
    $0.defaultSyncEngine = try SyncEngine(
        for: $0.defaultDatabase,
        tables: Task.self, Project.self
    )
}

// 2. Share a record
@Dependency(\.defaultSyncEngine) var syncEngine
@State var sharedRecord: SharedRecord?

func shareProject(_ project: Project) async throws {
    sharedRecord = try await syncEngine.share(record: project) { share in
        share[CKShare.SystemFieldKey.title] = "Join my project!"
    }
}

// 3. Present native sharing UI
.sheet(item: $sharedRecord) { record in
    CloudSharingView(sharedRecord: record)
}

Sharing enables: Collaborative lists, shared workspaces, family sharing, team features.

---

Performance Comparison

Operation	SwiftData	SQLiteData	Improvement
Insert 50k records	~4 minutes	~45 seconds	5x
Query 10k with predicate	~2 seconds	~50ms	40x
Memory (10k objects)	~80MB	~20MB	4x smaller
Cold launch (large DB)	~3 seconds	~200ms	15x

Benchmarks approximate, vary by device and data shape.

---

Migrating Existing User Data

Critical: Schema migration alone loses all user data. You must export from SwiftData and import into SQLiteData.

// 1. Read all records from SwiftData's backing store
func migrateExistingData(from modelContext: ModelContext, to database: any DatabaseWriter) throws {
    // Fetch all SwiftData records
    let descriptor = FetchDescriptor<SwiftDataTask>()
    let existingTasks = try modelContext.fetch(descriptor)

    // 2. Bulk insert into SQLiteData
    try database.write { db in
        for task in existingTasks {
            try SQLiteTask.insert {
                SQLiteTask.Draft(
                    id: task.id,
                    title: task.title,
                    isCompleted: task.isCompleted,
                    projectID: task.project?.id
                )
            }
            .execute(db)
        }
    }

    // 3. Verify migration
    let count = try database.read { db in
        try SQLiteTask.fetchCount(db)
    }
    assert(count == existingTasks.count, "Migration count mismatch!")
}

Migration checklist:

• Export all models before deleting SwiftData container
• Migrate relationships (fetch parent IDs for foreign keys)
• Verify record counts match after migration
• Keep SwiftData container as backup until confirmed working
• Run migration on first launch with a version flag in UserDefaults

Gradual Migration Strategy

You don't have to migrate everything at once:

1. Add SQLiteData for new features — Keep SwiftData for existing simple CRUD
2. Migrate one model at a time — Start with the performance bottleneck
3. Use separate databases initially — SQLiteData for heavy data/sharing, SwiftData for preferences
4. Consolidate if needed — Or keep hybrid if it works

---

Common Gotchas

Relationships → Foreign Keys

// SwiftData: implicit relationship
@Relationship var tasks: [Task]

// SQLiteData: explicit column + query
// In child: var projectID: Project.ID
// To fetch: Task.where { $0.projectID == project.id }

Cascade Deletes

// SwiftData: @Relationship(deleteRule: .cascade)

// SQLiteData: Define in SQL schema
// "REFERENCES parent(id) ON DELETE CASCADE"

No Automatic Inverse

// SwiftData: @Relationship(inverse: \Task.project)

// SQLiteData: Query both directions manually
let tasks = Task.where { $0.projectID == project.id }
let project = Project.find(task.projectID)

---

Related Skills:

• axiom-sqlitedata — Full SQLiteData API reference
• axiom-swiftdata — SwiftData patterns if staying with Apple's framework
• axiom-grdb — Raw GRDB for complex queries

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History: See git log for changes