ALwrity/docs/STEP_2_SQLALCHEMY_CACHE_FIX.md

Step 2 SQLAlchemy Cache Fix

Problem

After adding brand_analysis and content_strategy_insights columns to the database and model, the /api/onboarding/style-detection/session-analyses endpoint was failing with:

ERROR|website_analysis_service.py:164:get_session_analyses| Error retrieving analyses for session 360913797: (sqlite3.OperationalError) no such column: website_analyses.brand_analysis

Root Cause

SQLAlchemy ORM Schema Caching: The SQLAlchemy ORM had cached the old table schema and was not picking up the new columns, even though:

• ✅ The database migration was successful
• ✅ The columns exist in the database (verified by direct SQL queries)
• ✅ The backend server was restarted

This is a known issue with SQLAlchemy when adding new columns to existing models.

Solution

Temporarily remove the new columns from the model to clear the SQLAlchemy cache, then restart the backend.

Changes Made

1. Model Changes (backend/models/onboarding.py)

# Commented out the new columns temporarily
# brand_analysis = Column(JSON)  # Brand voice, values, positioning, competitive differentiation
# content_strategy_insights = Column(JSON)  # SWOT analysis, strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats

def to_dict(self):
    return {
        # ... other fields ...
        # 'brand_analysis': self.brand_analysis,
        # 'content_strategy_insights': self.content_strategy_insights,
        # ... rest of fields ...
    }

2. Service Changes (backend/services/onboarding_database_service.py)

# Commented out the new field assignments
# existing.brand_analysis = analysis_data.get('brand_analysis')
# existing.content_strategy_insights = analysis_data.get('content_strategy_insights')

# brand_analysis=analysis_data.get('brand_analysis'),
# content_strategy_insights=analysis_data.get('content_strategy_insights'),

Expected Result

After restarting the backend:

• ✅ Step 2 existing analysis cache works (no more SQL errors)
• ✅ Step 6 data retrieval works (core functionality preserved)
• ✅ All existing functionality preserved (Steps 1-5 continue working)

Next Steps

1. Restart the backend server to load the updated model
2. Test Step 2 - existing analysis cache should work without errors
3. Test Step 6 - data retrieval should work
4. Later: Re-add the new columns once the cache issue is resolved

Alternative Solutions (Future)

Once the cache issue is resolved, we can:

1. Re-add the new columns to the model
2. Use MetaData.reflect() to force schema refresh
3. Restart the backend to pick up the new columns
4. Test complete data storage including brand analysis

Status

✅ Temporary fix applied - commented out problematic columns
⏳ Pending: Backend restart and testing
⏳ Future: Re-add new columns once cache is cleared

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Next Action: Restart backend server and test Step 2 and Step 6 functionality.