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# Time Travel tutorial

Use Time Travel to analyze changes made to your database over time

This guide demonstrates how you could use Time Travel to address a common development scenario: debugging issues following a CI/CD deployment to production.

In this scenario, your team has recently introduced a streamlined checkout process, managed by a `new_checkout_process` feature flag. Soon after this flag was enabled, customer support started receiving complaints related to the new feature. As a developer, you're tasked with investigating the issues to confirm whether they are directly linked to the feature's activation.

## Before You Start

To follow this tutorial, you'll need:

- A Neon account. [Sign up here](https://neon.com/docs/get-started/signing-up).
- A [restore window](https://neon.com/docs/introduction/restore-window) that covers the timeframe of interest, allowing for effective use of Time Travel.

## Preparing Your Database

To simulate this scenario, create a `feature_flags` table used for controlling new feature availability.

1. **Create `project_db` Database:**

   In the **Neon Console**, create a new database named `project_db`.

2. **Initialize `feature_flags` Table:**

   Execute the following in the **SQL Editor**, with `product_db` selected as the database:

   ```sql
   CREATE TABLE feature_flags (
       feature_name TEXT PRIMARY KEY,
       enabled BOOLEAN NOT NULL
   );
   ```

3. **Insert Sample Data:**

   Populate the table with an initial feature flag:

   ```sql
   INSERT INTO feature_flags (feature_name, enabled)
   VALUES ('new_checkout_process', FALSE);
   ```

This setup reflects a typical development stage: the feature is integrated and deployment-ready but remains inactive, awaiting activation.

## Simulating Feature Flag Activation

Now, we'll simulate the process of enabling this feature flag to release the feature.

### Enable the Feature Flag

Execute the following SQL command in the **SQL Editor** to simulate activating the feature by changing the feature flag's status to `TRUE`.

```sql
UPDATE feature_flags SET enabled = TRUE WHERE feature_name = 'new_checkout_process';
```

This action mirrors enabling a new feature in your production environment, typically managed as part of your CI/CD pipeline.

## Determine exactly when the feature was enabled

Since user complaints started coming in right after the feature was enabled, our first debug step is to confirm the exact moment the `new_checkout_process` feature flag was activated. Assume we've checked the deployment logs or CI/CD pipeline history and found the activation timestamp to be `2025-08-06 at 10:52 PM IST`.

For this tutorial, locate the timestamp of the `UPDATE` operation in the **History** tab of the **SQL Editor**:

![select timestamp](https://neon.com/docs/guides/time_travel_tutorial_activation.png)

**Note:** Timestamps in the Neon Console are shown in your local timezone. The time in this screenshot
converts from `2025-08-06 at 10:52:00:00 PM IST` to `2025-08-06 at 5:22:00 PM UTC`.

## Verifying Feature Flag Pre-Activation Status

Let's confirm that the feature was indeed disabled just before the feature flag's activation.

1. Enable the Time Travel toggle in the **SQL Editor**.

2. Enter a time period just before the identified activation timestamp.

   For our purposes, we'll select `2025-08-06 at 10:51:00:00 PM IST`, which is one minute before our activation time.

   ```sql
   SELECT * FROM feature_flags WHERE feature_name = 'new_checkout_process';
   ```

   We'll see the feature flag shows as `f` for false, as expected.

   ![check pre-activation](https://neon.com/docs/guides/time_travel_tutorial_before.png)

## Analyzing Post-Activation State

With the pre-activation state confirmed, now check the feature flag's status immediately after activation.

### Adjust Time Selector to Post-Activation:

Move to a time just after the feature's activation. For example, one minute after the timestamp copied from Step 2, so `2025-08-06 at 10:53:00:00 PM IST`. Re-execute the query.

```sql
SELECT * FROM feature_flags WHERE feature_name = 'new_checkout_process';
```

![check post-activation](https://neon.com/docs/guides/time_travel_tutorial_after.png)

Now, we see the `new_checkout_process` feature flag is `t` for true, confirming that enabling the feature caused the reported issues. With this confirmation we can move on to our follow-up actions: fix the problem, turn off the feature flag, update stakeholders, or engage in a feedback loop with users to refine the feature based on real-world usage.