In an example embodiment, a first version of a cloud-based application is deployed. The first version of the cloud-based application contains references, based on a first schema, to a first database. Then a second version of the cloud-based application, different than the first version, is deployed. The second version of the cloud-based application contains references, based on a second schema, to the first database. Then access to the second version of the cloud-based application to one or more user devices is prevented while permitting testing devices to have access to the second version of the cloud-based application, while migrating data from the first schema of the first database to the second schema of the first database. Then access to the second version of the cloud-based application to the one or more user devices is permitted once the migrating of the data is complete.