[java] Hibernate: hbm2ddl.auto=update in production?

I agree with Vladimir. The administrators in my company would definitely not appreciate it if I even suggested such a course.

Further, creating an SQL script in stead of blindly trusting Hibernate gives you the opportunity to remove fields which are no longer in use. Hibernate does not do that.

And I find comparing the production schema with the new schema gives you even better insight to wat you changed in the data model. You know, of course, because you made it, but now you see all the changes in one go. Even the ones which make you go like "What the heck?!".

There are tools which can make a schema delta for you, so it isn't even hard work. And then you know exactly what's going to happen.