Maven rollbackSQL
Last updated: July 14, 2025
The Maven rollbackSQL goal is a helper command that produces the raw SQL Liquibase would run when using the Maven rollback goal with the liquibase.rollbackCount, liquibase.rollbackTag, or liquibase.rollbackDate attributes:
liquibase.rollbackCount: Liquibase uses the raw SQL to revert any changesets between the most recent and the value you specified.
liquibase.rollbackTag: Liquibase uses the raw SQL to revert all changes made to the database after the specified tag.
liquibase.rollbackDate: Liquibase uses the raw SQL to revert all changes made to your database from today's date to the date and time you specify.
Uses
The Maven rollbackSQL is typically used to inspect the SQL Liquibase uses to revert changes associated with a tag, date, or depending on the number you specify when you run the rollback goal. It is best practice to use the rollbackSQL goal before running the rollback command to correct any issues that may arise before running the goal and avoid any potential risks.
Maven configuration
You can configure Liquibase Maven in multiple ways. You can pass arguments like <changeLogFile> in Maven directly in your pom.xml file, in a liquibase.properties file referenced in your POM, as environment variables, or as JVM system properties. To learn about each file's syntax, see Maven Properties.
Tip: For more information about the Maven configuration, see Configuring Maven.
You may want to add <migrationSqlOutputFile>specify your output file here</migrationSqlOutputFile> to your pom.xml or specify it in another valid way. This argument defines the file to output the rollback SQL script.
Running the rollbackSQL Maven goal
Running the rollbackSQL goal requires a Maven project to be implemented. Also, you can run the Maven history goal before running the goal to see all your previously executed changes.
Running the rollbackSQL Maven goal with the rollbackCount attribute
To run the rollbackSQL goal with the liquibase.rollbackCount attribute, type the following in your command prompt: mvn liquibase:rollbackSQL -Dliquibase.rollbackCount=2
Note: Enter the value you want to use in place of 2.
Running the rollbackSQL Maven goal with the rollbackTag attribute
To run the rollbackSQL goal with the liquibase.rollbackTag attribute, type the following in your command prompt: mvn liquibase:rollbackSQL -Dliquibase.rollbackTag=version1
Note: Enter the name of the tag you want to use in place of version1. Alternatively, you can specify two properties in your pom.xml file under the <properties></properties> in the <project></project> level:
<liquibase.tag>v3.2.1</liquibase.tag>
<liquibase.rollbackTag>${liquibase.tag}</liquibase.rollbackTag>
Running the rollbackSQL Maven goal with the rollbackDate attribute
To run the rollbackSQL goal with the liquibase.rollbackDate attribute, type the following in your command prompt: mvn liquibase:rollbackSQL -Dliquibase.rollbackDate=2020-11-30
Note: Enter the date you want to use in place of 2020-11-30. There are several ways to revert your changes with the liquibase.rollback-to-dateattribute. You can use YYYY-MM-DD HH:MM:SS or YYYY-MM-DD'T'HH:MM:SS formats to specify both date and time. Also, you can specify date or time only.
Maven rollbackSQL configuration attributes
Required Maven rollbackSQL configuration attributes
Attribute | Definition |
|---|---|
| Defines the number of changesets to roll back. Default value is: 1. |
| Defines the date for which you want to roll back the database. The format of the date must match either an ISO date format or that of the |
| Defines the tag for which you want to roll back the database. |
Maven rollbackSQL output examples
rollbackCount output example
-- *********************************************************************
--rollback 2 Change(s) Script
-- *********************************************************************
-- Change Log: dbchangelog.xml
-- Ran at: 11/30/20 5:06 AM
-- Against: MVN_UAT@jdbc:oracle:thin:@localhost:1521/ORCL
-- Liquibase version: 4.1.1
-- *********************************************************************
-- Lock Database
UPDATE DATABASECHANGELOGLOCK SET LOCKED = 1, LOCKEDBY = 'WIN-20E107KB4TN (172.30.3.88)', LOCKGRANTED = TO_TIMESTAMP('2020-11-30 05:06:25.27', 'YYYY-MM-DD HH24:MI:SS.FF') WHERE ID = 1 AND LOCKED = 0;
-- Rolling Back ChangeSet: dbchangelog.xml::1606322157619-24::Nataliya
DROP TABLE "36";
DELETE FROM DATABASECHANGELOG WHERE ID = '1606322157619-24' AND AUTHOR = 'Nataliya' AND FILENAME = 'dbchangelog.xml';
-- Rolling Back ChangeSet: dbchangelog.xml::1606322157619-22::Nataliya
DROP TABLE "35";
DELETE FROM DATABASECHANGELOG WHERE ID = '1606322157619-22' AND AUTHOR = 'Nataliya' AND FILENAME = 'dbchangelog.xml';
-- Release Database Lock
UPDATE DATABASECHANGELOGLOCK SET LOCKED = 0, LOCKEDBY = NULL, LOCKGRANTED = NULL WHERE ID = 1;