Use EntityManager in Migrations file

You must call your modifications in the postUp() method - the addSql()- Statements will be executed after up() method is completed, so your new rows (i.e. tellphone) are not available during the up() method!

This may be an older post, but meanwhile the problem is solved and actually part of the current documentation.

See http://symfony.com/doc/current/bundles/DoctrineMigrationsBundle/index.html#container-aware-migrations

// ...
use Symfony\Component\DependencyInjection\ContainerAwareInterface;
use Symfony\Component\DependencyInjection\ContainerInterface;
use Symfony\Component\DependencyInjection\ContainerAwareTrait;

class Version20130326212938 extends AbstractMigration implements ContainerAwareInterface
{
    use ContainerAwareTrait;

    public function up(Schema $schema)
    {
        // ... migration content
    }

    public function postUp(Schema $schema)
    {
        $em = $this->container->get('doctrine.orm.entity_manager');
        // ... update the entities
    }
}

I do realize this is kind of old but learn on my mistake and:

don't even think about using entity manager in migrations

especially in a way you want to use it - to get the entity repository.

Here's why.

Imagine a situation where You have a DogEntity with field $name. You now generate a migration file (lets say its Version1) based on that entity. So far so good.

Next, you want to use entity manager to get the repository of that DogEntity, update the records, do whatever you need to do with that entities. And that works and it's okay (and let's say this migration file has name Version2).

Now, you add a $color field to your DogEntity, again you generate migration (it's a file named Version3). And its okay...

... up until you try to run all migrations from the beggining. In that moment, the error will throw during migration of Version2 file. Why? Because the entity manager looks for the color field in the database. But that field is created later, in Version3 file.

TLDR: Entity Manager looks for columns that you CURRENTLY have in your entity and that can cause problems while running migrations from the start.