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[Divergence] Swift SDK adds experimental direct tables, stored as plain SQLite tables instead of JSON views (powersync-swift #200) #709
Description
What's changing: The Swift SDK adds a direct flag on Table. A direct table is created by the core extension as a plain SQLite table instead of a JSON store wrapped in a view. The SDK still creates, alters, and drops it, and local writes are still tracked as pending uploads. Direct tables can't use a view name override, and the API is marked experimental. The change is unreleased (changelog entry "1.17.0 (unreleased)").
High priority — existing docs are now inaccurate or incomplete
None identified.
For reviewer consideration — worth documenting
- Direct tables are a new opt-in alternative to the default JSON-view tables. The Swift changelog entry and API comment link to a "Direct Tables" anchor on Performance Optimization (https://docs.powersync.com/client-sdks/advanced/performance-optimization#direct-tables), but that page has no such section. The page currently points readers who want plain SQLite tables only to Raw Tables (item 4 under "Fixing Slow Queries"). No page covers direct tables yet.
- Raw Tables (https://docs.powersync.com/client-sdks/advanced/raw-tables) is the closest related page. It describes the "Current JSON-Based System" and the raw tables alternative, and does not distinguish SDK-managed plain tables from raw tables.
Source PR: powersync-ja/powersync-swift#200 — open, labeled "Product Visibility"
Filed automatically by Claude Code (claude-sonnet-5-5). A human must verify the scope, prepare the docs PR, and publish it only once this update has been released.
Activity
benitav commentedon Oct 21, 2026
The same direct tables feature is being added to the other SDKs, all open and labeled "Product Visibility": powersync-js#1158, powersync.dart#489, powersync-kotlin#392 and powersync-native#51. Each is titled "Support direct tables", so it extends this issue's scope from Swift to the JS, Dart, Kotlin, and Rust SDKs. No additional pages are affected beyond those listed above.
Filed automatically by Claude Code (
claude-sonnet-5-5). A human must verify the scope, prepare the docs PR, and publish it only once this update has been released.Generated by Claude Code
benitav commentedon Oct 22, 2026
[Status Update] Source PR powersync-ja/powersync-swift#200 is now merged on 2026-10-22.
Documentation updates can be published after the change ships in a release.
[Status Update] Source PR powersync-ja/powersync-js#1158 is now merged on 2026-10-22.
Documentation updates can be published after the change ships in a release.
[Status Update] Source PR powersync-ja/powersync-kotlin#392 is now merged on 2026-10-22.
Documentation updates can be published after the change ships in a release.
[Status Update] Source PR powersync-ja/powersync-native#51 is now merged on 2026-10-22.
Documentation updates can be published after the change ships in a release.
Filed automatically by Claude Code (
claude-sonnet-5-5). A human must verify the scope, prepare the docs PR, and publish it only once this update has been released.Generated by Claude Code