> Instead of updating tables build their replacements under a different name then rename them.

This works really well, although a few minor warnings.

If you run backups, they will block DDL changes like creation and rename of a table. Now this might block all reads on your table until backup completes. Make sure you do this on a schema that isn’t being backed up or do other workarounds.

Other than that, this trick is really nice for instant replace and can also reduce disk space churn / fragmentation.