DDL Execution Flow (SQL → Job → Owner → Workers → Done)

This doc explains the execution skeleton of TiDB DDL and the responsibility boundary of each layer.

1) SQL executor layer: pkg/executor/ddl.go

Entry: pkg/executor/ddl.go (type DDLExec, (*DDLExec).Next)

This is the SQL-layer wrapper for end-user DDL execution on the connected TiDB node: it maps DDL AST nodes to the DDL module and handles statement/transaction boundaries.

Responsibilities:

• End the previous transaction and start a new internal DDL transaction context.
• Perform statement-level branching (AST switch) and call into the DDL module (pkg/ddl/executor.go).

Non-responsibilities (avoid putting logic here):

• Persisting schema changes directly (should go through DDL jobs).
• Any logic that must survive owner transfer / restart (belongs to job execution).

2) DDL executor (DDL module): statement → job(s) → wait

Entry: pkg/ddl/executor.go (type Executor, (*executor).DoDDLJobWrapper)

Think of this as the DDL framework client on the connected TiDB node: it validates/serializes statements into durable jobs, submits them, and blocks the session until completion.

The DDL module has its own “executor” (different from pkg/executor/). Its job is:

1. Validate/normalize statement-level details that are DDL-module specific (e.g. build TableInfo, expand options).
2. Build a persistent model.Job (or multiple jobs) and wrap it in ddl.JobWrapper.
3. Submit the job via JobSubmitter by sending it into a bounded channel (deliverJobTask → limitJobCh).
4. Block the SQL session until the job finishes, using:
   • an in-process notification channel (fast path; works when the job is executed on the same TiDB node), and
   • a ticker-based polling loop (always needed for cross-node execution; also a robustness fallback if notifications can’t be delivered).

The waiting loop is in (*executor).DoDDLJobWrapper and includes:

• Attaching StmtCtx.DDLJobID for KILL to cancel the job.
• Periodic job state checking (to fetch final result or detect errors).
• Cancellation path when the connection is killed.

3) Job submission: batching, ID allocation, writing mysql.tidb_ddl_job

Entry: pkg/ddl/job_submitter.go (type JobSubmitter, submitLoop, addBatchDDLJobs)

Key ideas:

• Jobs are collected from limitJobCh and submitted in batch.
• The submitter allocates IDs (schema/table/index IDs) if needed.
• Jobs are inserted into the DDL job table (mysql.tidb_ddl_job), then the submitter notifies the owner scheduler (notifyNewJobSubmitted).
• When tidb_enable_fast_create_table is enabled, multiple create-table jobs may be merged into a single “batch create table” job.

4) Owner election: only the owner runs scheduler + workers

Entry: pkg/ddl/job_scheduler.go:OnBecomeOwner

• DDL uses an owner manager (owner.Manager, etcd-backed) to elect exactly one owner.
• When a node becomes owner, it starts jobScheduler and worker pools.
• When it retires, scheduler/workers are stopped; another node will take over.

This is why DDL execution must be resumable and driven by persistent job state.

5) Scheduling and execution: worker pools and job step transitions

Entrypoints:

• Scheduler: pkg/ddl/job_scheduler.go (jobScheduler.start, scheduleLoop)
• Worker core: pkg/ddl/job_worker.go (transitOneJobStep, runOneJobStep)

The owner scheduler:

• Pulls runnable jobs from job table.
• Classifies jobs into categories (general vs reorg/backfill) and dispatches them into worker pools.

Workers run each job in small, persistent steps:

• Update meta in a transaction.
• Move job forward by changing schema state and/or job state.
• If schema version changes, update global schema version and wait followers to sync (OwnerUpdateGlobalVersion + WaitVersionSynced).
• For reorg/backfill, run reorg logic repeatedly, updating progress in the job record so it can resume.

6) Schema version sync: safety boundary for online DDL

Entrypoints:

• pkg/ddl/job_worker.go:updateGlobalVersionAndWaitSynced
• pkg/ddl/schema_version.go:waitVersionSynced
• pkg/ddl/schemaver/syncer.go (Syncer.WaitVersionSynced)

After each schema state change, the owner:

1. Updates the global schema version.
2. Waits until all relevant TiDB instances have reloaded to (≥) that version.

This mechanism is fundamental to online DDL correctness: it ensures that once the job advances to the next schema state, all nodes have a consistent view (or are at least caught up enough to respect compatibility).

7) Completion and unblocking the SQL session

On completion:

• The job is moved to history and removed from the active queue.
• A per-job “done channel” is closed/triggered so the submitter-side wait loop returns quickly.
• The SQL session returns success/error based on the history job record.

“Where should I implement this change?”

Rule of thumb:

• Statement mapping / job creation / waiting: pkg/ddl/executor.go
• Persistent step execution and state transitions: pkg/ddl/job_worker.go + specific DDL action files (table.go, schema.go, index.go, …)
• SQL session boundaries / generic dispatch: pkg/executor/ddl.go (keep thin)

If the change modifies schema state transitions, job steps, or meta writes, it almost certainly belongs in pkg/ddl/.