1 files changed, 59 insertions, 0 deletions
diff --git a/Documentation/source/operations/database.rst b/Documentation/source/operations/database.rst
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..37c0cba
--- /dev/null
+++ b/Documentation/source/operations/database.rst
@@ -0,0 +1,59 @@
+Database
+========
+
+Local Bootstrap
+---------------
+
+Use the included helper when developing locally:
+
+.. code-block:: bash
+
+   ./start-database.sh
+
+The script is designed for local development and should not be used as a
+production database management tool.
+
+Schema Areas
+------------
+
+.. list-table::
+   :header-rows: 1
+   :widths: 24 50
+
+   * - Area
+     - Ownership
+   * - Payload schema
+     - CMS collections, admin content, media metadata, and Payload-managed
+       structures.
+   * - Drizzle ``blog_*`` tables
+     - better-auth users, sessions, accounts, verifications, comments, rates,
+       and roles.
+
+Migration Workflow
+------------------
+
+For Payload collection changes:
+
+.. code-block:: bash
+
+   pnpm payload:migrate:create
+   pnpm payload:migrate
+   pnpm payload:generate
+
+For application schema changes:
+
+.. code-block:: bash
+
+   pnpm db:generate
+   pnpm db:migrate
+
+During local iteration, ``pnpm db:push`` can be useful, but committed schema
+changes should still have a deliberate migration story.
+
+Operational Cautions
+--------------------
+
+* Keep Payload and application-owned tables conceptually separate.
+* Regenerate Payload types after collection changes.
+* Keep ``drizzle.config.ts`` filters aligned with application-owned tables.
+* Do not commit local database data directories or generated build artifacts.