I am no expert on Antelope vs Barracuda but there is always a risk when you start modifying databases.
I worked as a lead developer creating database scripts and stored procedures. Our standard method was:
- Any change I made to a database was a script which I checked on my development machine.
- The analyst then checked and passed the script independently on another copy of our database
- I made the change using the script on the clients test database and it was signed off by the client as correct
- I then applied the script to the client's production server. Usually at 6 am after the nightly backup was verified as complete to give the client a couple of hours to lock the system and check my work before the staff were able to start processing. Any problems would result in a rollback to the backup.
Running the script on a live server was always stressful. I never forget the moment the client called and told me their operation was down because of me - or really forgave her when she told me she was joking.
This level of checking may seem excessive but at the least you must apply any changes to a development version of Moodle and have a test plan to verify the changes are not destructive before making a change like this.
Apologies if I am telling you what you already know and follow - but there are many plaintive calls on this forum from others whom I suspect have applied untested fixes to live servers.
