alamb commented on code in PR #22766:
URL: https://github.com/apache/datafusion/pull/22766#discussion_r3372449148


##########
docs/source/contributor-guide/release_management.md:
##########
@@ -59,6 +59,86 @@ To prepare for a new release series, maintainers:
 - Create release candidate artifacts from the release branch
 - After approval, publish to crates.io, ASF distribution servers, and Git tags
 
+## Backport Criteria
+
+A release branch is a stabilization branch for an imminent or recent patch
+release. The bar for landing a change on a release branch is therefore
+_higher_ than the bar for landing on `main`, not lower. These criteria define
+what is eligible for backport; the [Backport Workflow](#backport-workflow)
+below describes the mechanics.
+
+DataFusion follows Cargo SemVer, with breaking changes allowed at major
+version boundaries — see the [API health policy] for the full framing of
+public Rust and SQL API stability. Patch releases (`x.y.z`, `z ≥ 1`) carry
+fixes only and never introduce new features or breaking changes.
+
+### Eligible for backport
+
+- **Security fixes.** Fixes for known or reported security issues should be
+  backported to every actively maintained release branch.
+- **Correctness fixes.** Fixes for queries that produce incorrect results,
+  panics, data loss, or crashes. If the fix itself changes user-visible SQL
+  semantics to make a wrong result right, follow [Behavior changes] below.
+- **Stability and regression fixes.** Fixes for regressions introduced in the
+  current release line, hangs, deadlocks, memory leaks, or other availability
+  issues.
+- **Build, CI, and test fixes** required to keep the branch buildable and
+  releasable.
+- **Documentation fixes** that correct documentation about behavior already
+  in the release. Documentation for behavior that exists only on `main` does
+  not belong on a release branch.
+
+### Not recommended for backport
+
+- **New features**, including new SQL functions, new optimizer rules, new
+  configuration options, new public APIs, and new file-format support. Land
+  on `main` and ship in the next major release.
+- **Breaking API changes** of any kind, Rust or SQL. DataFusion makes
+  breaking changes only at major version boundaries — see [API health policy].
+- **Refactors and cleanup** that do not fix a bug, even if they are correct.
+- **Performance improvements** that are not also correctness or stability
+  fixes. Land on `main`.
+- **Dependency upgrades**, except when the upgrade itself is the security or
+  correctness fix and there is no narrower alternative.
+
+### Behavior changes
+
+A "behavior change" is any fix that alters user-visible results: SQL
+semantics (values, ordering, types, null handling), error messages that
+downstream users may rely on, plan output, or default configuration values.
+
+Behavior-changing fixes need extra scrutiny on a release branch because
+users upgrading between patch versions do not expect their queries to start
+returning different results. Before opening the backport PR:
+
+1. State on the release tracking issue _why_ the change must ship in this
+   patch release rather than the next major.
+2. Describe the previous and new behavior with example queries and results.
+3. Wait for explicit acknowledgment from the release manager or another
+   committer on the tracking issue.

Review Comment:
   I am not sure we need to gate the creation of a backport PR on 
acknowledgement from the release manager -- making the backport PR is pretty 
simple, and I would expect that 2. (describing previous behavior, etc) would 
have already been done on the main issue
   
   Explaining why you want the change in the patch release is a good idea 
though.



##########
docs/source/contributor-guide/release_management.md:
##########
@@ -59,6 +59,86 @@ To prepare for a new release series, maintainers:
 - Create release candidate artifacts from the release branch
 - After approval, publish to crates.io, ASF distribution servers, and Git tags
 
+## Backport Criteria
+
+A release branch is a stabilization branch for an imminent or recent patch
+release. The bar for landing a change on a release branch is therefore
+_higher_ than the bar for landing on `main`, not lower. These criteria define
+what is eligible for backport; the [Backport Workflow](#backport-workflow)
+below describes the mechanics.
+
+DataFusion follows Cargo SemVer, with breaking changes allowed at major
+version boundaries — see the [API health policy] for the full framing of
+public Rust and SQL API stability. Patch releases (`x.y.z`, `z ≥ 1`) carry
+fixes only and never introduce new features or breaking changes.
+
+### Eligible for backport
+
+- **Security fixes.** Fixes for known or reported security issues should be
+  backported to every actively maintained release branch.
+- **Correctness fixes.** Fixes for queries that produce incorrect results,
+  panics, data loss, or crashes. If the fix itself changes user-visible SQL
+  semantics to make a wrong result right, follow [Behavior changes] below.
+- **Stability and regression fixes.** Fixes for regressions introduced in the
+  current release line, hangs, deadlocks, memory leaks, or other availability
+  issues.
+- **Build, CI, and test fixes** required to keep the branch buildable and
+  releasable.
+- **Documentation fixes** that correct documentation about behavior already
+  in the release. Documentation for behavior that exists only on `main` does
+  not belong on a release branch.
+
+### Not recommended for backport
+
+- **New features**, including new SQL functions, new optimizer rules, new
+  configuration options, new public APIs, and new file-format support. Land
+  on `main` and ship in the next major release.
+- **Breaking API changes** of any kind, Rust or SQL. DataFusion makes
+  breaking changes only at major version boundaries — see [API health policy].
+- **Refactors and cleanup** that do not fix a bug, even if they are correct.
+- **Performance improvements** that are not also correctness or stability
+  fixes. Land on `main`.
+- **Dependency upgrades**, except when the upgrade itself is the security or
+  correctness fix and there is no narrower alternative.
+
+### Behavior changes
+
+A "behavior change" is any fix that alters user-visible results: SQL
+semantics (values, ordering, types, null handling), error messages that
+downstream users may rely on, plan output, or default configuration values.
+
+Behavior-changing fixes need extra scrutiny on a release branch because
+users upgrading between patch versions do not expect their queries to start
+returning different results. Before opening the backport PR:
+
+1. State on the release tracking issue _why_ the change must ship in this
+   patch release rather than the next major.
+2. Describe the previous and new behavior with example queries and results.
+3. Wait for explicit acknowledgment from the release manager or another
+   committer on the tracking issue.
+
+If in doubt, default to "land on `main`, ship in the next major."
+
+### Who decides
+
+The release manager for the active release line is the final reviewer of

Review Comment:
   I think practically any committer can commit to a release branch too -- so 
maybe we can make ti clear that others can merge PRs to the release branch, 
though the release manager will review them



##########
docs/source/contributor-guide/release_management.md:
##########
@@ -59,6 +59,86 @@ To prepare for a new release series, maintainers:
 - Create release candidate artifacts from the release branch
 - After approval, publish to crates.io, ASF distribution servers, and Git tags
 
+## Backport Criteria
+
+A release branch is a stabilization branch for an imminent or recent patch
+release. The bar for landing a change on a release branch is therefore
+_higher_ than the bar for landing on `main`, not lower. These criteria define
+what is eligible for backport; the [Backport Workflow](#backport-workflow)
+below describes the mechanics.
+
+DataFusion follows Cargo SemVer, with breaking changes allowed at major
+version boundaries — see the [API health policy] for the full framing of
+public Rust and SQL API stability. Patch releases (`x.y.z`, `z ≥ 1`) carry
+fixes only and never introduce new features or breaking changes.
+
+### Eligible for backport
+
+- **Security fixes.** Fixes for known or reported security issues should be
+  backported to every actively maintained release branch.
+- **Correctness fixes.** Fixes for queries that produce incorrect results,
+  panics, data loss, or crashes. If the fix itself changes user-visible SQL
+  semantics to make a wrong result right, follow [Behavior changes] below.
+- **Stability and regression fixes.** Fixes for regressions introduced in the
+  current release line, hangs, deadlocks, memory leaks, or other availability
+  issues.
+- **Build, CI, and test fixes** required to keep the branch buildable and
+  releasable.
+- **Documentation fixes** that correct documentation about behavior already
+  in the release. Documentation for behavior that exists only on `main` does
+  not belong on a release branch.
+
+### Not recommended for backport
+
+- **New features**, including new SQL functions, new optimizer rules, new
+  configuration options, new public APIs, and new file-format support. Land
+  on `main` and ship in the next major release.
+- **Breaking API changes** of any kind, Rust or SQL. DataFusion makes
+  breaking changes only at major version boundaries — see [API health policy].
+- **Refactors and cleanup** that do not fix a bug, even if they are correct.
+- **Performance improvements** that are not also correctness or stability
+  fixes. Land on `main`.
+- **Dependency upgrades**, except when the upgrade itself is the security or
+  correctness fix and there is no narrower alternative.
+
+### Behavior changes
+
+A "behavior change" is any fix that alters user-visible results: SQL
+semantics (values, ordering, types, null handling), error messages that

Review Comment:
   I think we have made error message changes in minor releases before and it 
seems like that would be ok to me, to be honest. 
   
   The rest of this sounds good



##########
docs/source/contributor-guide/release_management.md:
##########
@@ -59,6 +59,86 @@ To prepare for a new release series, maintainers:
 - Create release candidate artifacts from the release branch
 - After approval, publish to crates.io, ASF distribution servers, and Git tags
 
+## Backport Criteria
+
+A release branch is a stabilization branch for an imminent or recent patch
+release. The bar for landing a change on a release branch is therefore
+_higher_ than the bar for landing on `main`, not lower. These criteria define
+what is eligible for backport; the [Backport Workflow](#backport-workflow)
+below describes the mechanics.
+
+DataFusion follows Cargo SemVer, with breaking changes allowed at major
+version boundaries — see the [API health policy] for the full framing of
+public Rust and SQL API stability. Patch releases (`x.y.z`, `z ≥ 1`) carry
+fixes only and never introduce new features or breaking changes.
+
+### Eligible for backport
+
+- **Security fixes.** Fixes for known or reported security issues should be
+  backported to every actively maintained release branch.
+- **Correctness fixes.** Fixes for queries that produce incorrect results,
+  panics, data loss, or crashes. If the fix itself changes user-visible SQL
+  semantics to make a wrong result right, follow [Behavior changes] below.
+- **Stability and regression fixes.** Fixes for regressions introduced in the
+  current release line, hangs, deadlocks, memory leaks, or other availability
+  issues.
+- **Build, CI, and test fixes** required to keep the branch buildable and
+  releasable.
+- **Documentation fixes** that correct documentation about behavior already
+  in the release. Documentation for behavior that exists only on `main` does
+  not belong on a release branch.
+
+### Not recommended for backport
+
+- **New features**, including new SQL functions, new optimizer rules, new
+  configuration options, new public APIs, and new file-format support. Land
+  on `main` and ship in the next major release.
+- **Breaking API changes** of any kind, Rust or SQL. DataFusion makes
+  breaking changes only at major version boundaries — see [API health policy].
+- **Refactors and cleanup** that do not fix a bug, even if they are correct.
+- **Performance improvements** that are not also correctness or stability
+  fixes. Land on `main`.
+- **Dependency upgrades**, except when the upgrade itself is the security or
+  correctness fix and there is no narrower alternative.
+
+### Behavior changes
+
+A "behavior change" is any fix that alters user-visible results: SQL
+semantics (values, ordering, types, null handling), error messages that
+downstream users may rely on, plan output, or default configuration values.
+
+Behavior-changing fixes need extra scrutiny on a release branch because
+users upgrading between patch versions do not expect their queries to start
+returning different results. Before opening the backport PR:
+
+1. State on the release tracking issue _why_ the change must ship in this
+   patch release rather than the next major.
+2. Describe the previous and new behavior with example queries and results.
+3. Wait for explicit acknowledgment from the release manager or another
+   committer on the tracking issue.
+
+If in doubt, default to "land on `main`, ship in the next major."
+
+### Who decides
+
+The release manager for the active release line is the final reviewer of
+what goes into the patch release. They coordinate via the release tracking
+issue (for example, the [release issue for 50.3.0]). Anyone may propose a
+backport by opening a backport PR and linking it from the tracking issue;
+inclusion is the release manager's call.
+
+### Active release branches
+
+DataFusion does not maintain Long-Term Support branches. In general only the
+most recent `branch-NN` is actively maintained for backports. A branch is
+considered closed once the next major release branch has been cut and the
+release manager closes its tracking issue; users who need a fix beyond that
+point should upgrade to the next major.
+
+Security fixes are an exception: a maintainer may choose to backport a
+critical security fix to an older branch even after it would otherwise be
+closed. Discuss on the dev list or in a tracking issue before doing so.

Review Comment:
   This is true, but I also don't think I have heard opposition to doing more 
releases -- it is more of a bandwidth thing. Maybe we can soften the language a 
little like this:
   
   ```suggestion
   DataFusion does not maintain Long-Term Support branches. In general only the
   most recent `branch-NN` is actively maintained for backports, but if you 
need fixes in 
   older releases, we are open to discussion.
   
   Security fixes are an exception: a maintainer may choose to backport a
   critical security fix to an older branch even after it would otherwise be
   closed. Discuss on the dev list or in a tracking issue before doing so.
   ```



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