Migrate events into a new format

This commit migrates events data in such a way that push events are
stored much more efficiently. This is done by creating a shadow table
called "events_for_migration", and a table called "push_event_payloads"
which is used for storing push data of push events. The background
migration in this commit will copy events from the "events" table into
the "events_for_migration" table, push events in will also have a row
created in "push_event_payloads".

This approach allows us to reclaim space in the next release by simply
swapping the "events" and "events_for_migration" tables, then dropping
the old events (now "events_for_migration") table.

The new table structure is also optimised for storage space, and does
not include the unused "title" column nor the "data" column (since this
data is moved to "push_event_payloads").

== Newly Created Events

Newly created events are inserted into both "events" and
"events_for_migration", both using the exact same primary key value. The
table "push_event_payloads" in turn has a foreign key to the _shadow_
table. This removes the need for recreating and validating the foreign
key after swapping the tables. Since the shadow table also has a foreign
key to "projects.id" we also don't have to worry about orphaned rows.

This approach however does require some additional storage as we're
duplicating a portion of the events data for at least 1 release. The
exact amount is hard to estimate, but for GitLab.com this is expected to
be between 10 and 20 GB at most. The background migration in this commit
deliberately does _not_ update the "events" table as doing so would put
a lot of pressure on PostgreSQL's auto vacuuming system.

== Supporting Both Old And New Events

Application code has also been adjusted to support push events using
both the old and new data formats. This is done by creating a PushEvent
class which extends the regular Event class. Using Rails' Single Table
Inheritance system we can ensure the right class is used for the right
data, which in this case is based on the value of `events.action`. To
support displaying old and new data at the same time the PushEvent class
re-defines a few methods of the Event class, falling back to their
original implementations for push events in the old format.

Once all existing events have been migrated the various push event
related methods can be removed from the Event model, and the calls to
`super` can be removed from the methods in the PushEvent model.

The UI and event atom feed have also been slightly changed to better
handle this new setup, fortunately only a few changes were necessary to
make this work.

== API Changes

The API only displays push data of events in the new format. Supporting
both formats in the API is a bit more difficult compared to the UI.
Since the old push data was not really well documented (apart from one
example that used an incorrect "action" nmae) I decided that supporting
both was not worth the effort, especially since events will be migrated
in a few days _and_ new events are created in the correct format.

41 files changed, 1802 insertions, 157 deletions

diff --git a/app/models/event.rb b/app/models/event.rb
index 8d93a228494..a598eb08e82 100644
--- a/app/models/event.rb
+++ b/app/models/event.rb
@@ -48,6 +48,7 @@ class Event < ActiveRecord::Base
   belongs_to :author, class_name: "User"
   belongs_to :project
   belongs_to :target, polymorphic: true # rubocop:disable Cop/PolymorphicAssociations
+  has_one :push_event_payload, foreign_key: :event_id
 
   # For Hash only
   serialize :data # rubocop:disable Cop/ActiveRecordSerialize
@@ -55,6 +56,7 @@ class Event < ActiveRecord::Base
   # Callbacks
   after_create :reset_project_activity
   after_create :set_last_repository_updated_at, if: :push?
+  after_create :replicate_event_for_push_events_migration
 
   # Scopes
   scope :recent, -> { reorder(id: :desc) }
@@ -64,10 +66,36 @@ class Event < ActiveRecord::Base
     where(project_id: projects.pluck(:id)).recent
   end
 
-  scope :with_associations, -> { includes(:author, :project, project: :namespace).preload(:target) }
+  scope :with_associations, -> do
+    # We're using preload for "push_event_payload" as otherwise the association
+    # is not always available (depending on the query being built).
+    includes(:author, :project, project: :namespace)
+      .preload(:target, :push_event_payload)
+  end
+
   scope :for_milestone_id, ->(milestone_id) { where(target_type: "Milestone", target_id: milestone_id) }
 
+  self.inheritance_column = 'action'
+
   class << self
+    def find_sti_class(action)
+      if action.to_i == PUSHED
+        PushEvent
+      else
+        Event
+      end
+    end
+
+    def subclass_from_attributes(attrs)
+      # Without this Rails will keep calling this method on the returned class,
+      # resulting in an infinite loop.
+      return unless self == Event
+
+      action = attrs.with_indifferent_access[inheritance_column].to_i
+
+      PushEvent if action == PUSHED
+    end
+
     # Update Gitlab::ContributionsCalendar#activity_dates if this changes
     def contributions
       where("action = ? OR (target_type IN (?) AND action IN (?)) OR (target_type = ? AND action = ?)",
@@ -290,6 +318,16 @@ class Event < ActiveRecord::Base
     @commits ||= (data[:commits] || []).reverse
   end
 
+  def commit_title
+    commit = commits.last
+
+    commit[:message] if commit
+  end
+
+  def commit_id
+    commit_to || commit_from
+  end
+
   def commits_count
     data[:total_commits_count] || commits.count || 0
   end
@@ -385,6 +423,16 @@ class Event < ActiveRecord::Base
     user ? author_id == user.id : false
   end
 
+  # We're manually replicating data into the new table since database triggers
+  # are not dumped to db/schema.rb. This could mean that a new installation
+  # would not have the triggers in place, thus losing events data in GitLab
+  # 10.0.
+  def replicate_event_for_push_events_migration
+    new_attributes = attributes.with_indifferent_access.except(:title, :data)
+
+    EventForMigration.create!(new_attributes)
+  end
+
   private
 
   def recent_update?
diff --git a/app/models/event_for_migration.rb b/app/models/event_for_migration.rb
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..a1672da5eec
--- /dev/null
+++ b/app/models/event_for_migration.rb
@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+# This model is used to replicate events between the old "events" table and the
+# new "events_for_migration" table that will replace "events" in GitLab 10.0.
+class EventForMigration < ActiveRecord::Base
+  self.table_name = 'events_for_migration'
+end
diff --git a/app/models/push_event.rb b/app/models/push_event.rb
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..3f1ff979de6
--- /dev/null
+++ b/app/models/push_event.rb
@@ -0,0 +1,126 @@
+class PushEvent < Event
+  # This validation exists so we can't accidentally use PushEvent with a
+  # different "action" value.
+  validate :validate_push_action
+
+  # Authors are required as they're used to display who pushed data.
+  #
+  # We're just validating the presence of the ID here as foreign key constraints
+  # should ensure the ID points to a valid user.
+  validates :author_id, presence: true
+
+  # The project is required to build links to commits, commit ranges, etc.
+  #
+  # We're just validating the presence of the ID here as foreign key constraints
+  # should ensure the ID points to a valid project.
+  validates :project_id, presence: true
+
+  # The "data" field must not be set for push events since it's not used and a
+  # waste of space.
+  validates :data, absence: true
+
+  # These fields are also not used for push events, thus storing them would be a
+  # waste.
+  validates :target_id, absence: true
+  validates :target_type, absence: true
+
+  def self.sti_name
+    PUSHED
+  end
+
+  def push?
+    true
+  end
+
+  def push_with_commits?
+    !!(commit_from && commit_to)
+  end
+
+  def tag?
+    return super unless push_event_payload
+
+    push_event_payload.tag?
+  end
+
+  def branch?
+    return super unless push_event_payload
+
+    push_event_payload.branch?
+  end
+
+  def valid_push?
+    return super unless push_event_payload
+
+    push_event_payload.ref.present?
+  end
+
+  def new_ref?
+    return super unless push_event_payload
+
+    push_event_payload.created?
+  end
+
+  def rm_ref?
+    return super unless push_event_payload
+
+    push_event_payload.removed?
+  end
+
+  def commit_from
+    return super unless push_event_payload
+
+    push_event_payload.commit_from
+  end
+
+  def commit_to
+    return super unless push_event_payload
+
+    push_event_payload.commit_to
+  end
+
+  def ref_name
+    return super unless push_event_payload
+
+    push_event_payload.ref
+  end
+
+  def ref_type
+    return super unless push_event_payload
+
+    push_event_payload.ref_type
+  end
+
+  def branch_name
+    return super unless push_event_payload
+
+    ref_name
+  end
+
+  def tag_name
+    return super unless push_event_payload
+
+    ref_name
+  end
+
+  def commit_title
+    return super unless push_event_payload
+
+    push_event_payload.commit_title
+  end
+
+  def commit_id
+    commit_to || commit_from
+  end
+
+  def commits_count
+    return super unless push_event_payload
+
+    push_event_payload.commit_count
+  end
+
+  def validate_push_action
+    return if action == PUSHED
+
+    errors.add(:action, "the action #{action.inspect} is not valid")
+  end
+end
diff --git a/app/models/push_event_payload.rb b/app/models/push_event_payload.rb
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..6cdb1cd4fe9
--- /dev/null
+++ b/app/models/push_event_payload.rb
@@ -0,0 +1,22 @@
+class PushEventPayload < ActiveRecord::Base
+  include ShaAttribute
+
+  belongs_to :event, inverse_of: :push_event_payload
+
+  validates :event_id, :commit_count, :action, :ref_type, presence: true
+  validates :commit_title, length: { maximum: 70 }
+
+  sha_attribute :commit_from
+  sha_attribute :commit_to
+
+  enum action: {
+    created: 0,
+    removed: 1,
+    pushed: 2
+  }
+
+  enum ref_type: {
+    branch: 0,
+    tag: 1
+  }
+end
diff --git a/app/services/event_create_service.rb b/app/services/event_create_service.rb
index 0f3a485a3fd..0b7e4f187f7 100644
--- a/app/services/event_create_service.rb
+++ b/app/services/event_create_service.rb
@@ -71,7 +71,14 @@ class EventCreateService
   end
 
   def push(project, current_user, push_data)
-    create_event(project, current_user, Event::PUSHED, data: push_data)
+    # We're using an explicit transaction here so that any errors that may occur
+    # when creating push payload data will result in the event creation being
+    # rolled back as well.
+    Event.transaction do
+      event = create_event(project, current_user, Event::PUSHED)
+
+      PushEventPayloadService.new(event, push_data).execute
+    end
 
     Users::ActivityService.new(current_user, 'push').execute
   end
diff --git a/app/services/push_event_payload_service.rb b/app/services/push_event_payload_service.rb
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..b0a389c85f9
--- /dev/null
+++ b/app/services/push_event_payload_service.rb
@@ -0,0 +1,120 @@
+# Service class for creating push event payloads as stored in the
+# "push_event_payloads" table.
+#
+# Example:
+#
+#     data = Gitlab::DataBuilder::Push.build(...)
+#     event = Event.create(...)
+#
+#     PushEventPayloadService.new(event, data).execute
+class PushEventPayloadService
+  # event - The event this push payload belongs to.
+  # push_data - A Hash produced by `Gitlab::DataBuilder::Push.build` to use for
+  #             building the push payload.
+  def initialize(event, push_data)
+    @event = event
+    @push_data = push_data
+  end
+
+  # Creates and returns a new PushEventPayload row.
+  #
+  # This method will raise upon encountering validation errors.
+  #
+  # Returns an instance of PushEventPayload.
+  def execute
+    @event.build_push_event_payload(
+      commit_count: commit_count,
+      action: action,
+      ref_type: ref_type,
+      commit_from: commit_from_id,
+      commit_to: commit_to_id,
+      ref: trimmed_ref,
+      commit_title: commit_title,
+      event_id: @event.id
+    )
+
+    @event.push_event_payload.save!
+    @event.push_event_payload
+  end
+
+  # Returns the commit title to use.
+  #
+  # The commit title is limited to the first line and a maximum of 70
+  # characters.
+  def commit_title
+    commit = @push_data.fetch(:commits).last
+
+    return nil unless commit && commit[:message]
+
+    raw_msg = commit[:message]
+
+    # Find where the first line ends, without turning the entire message into an
+    # Array of lines (this is a waste of memory for large commit messages).
+    index = raw_msg.index("\n")
+    message = index ? raw_msg[0..index] : raw_msg
+
+    message.strip.truncate(70)
+  end
+
+  def commit_from_id
+    if create?
+      nil
+    else
+      revision_before
+    end
+  end
+
+  def commit_to_id
+    if remove?
+      nil
+    else
+      revision_after
+    end
+  end
+
+  def commit_count
+    @push_data.fetch(:total_commits_count)
+  end
+
+  def ref
+    @push_data.fetch(:ref)
+  end
+
+  def revision_before
+    @push_data.fetch(:before)
+  end
+
+  def revision_after
+    @push_data.fetch(:after)
+  end
+
+  def trimmed_ref
+    Gitlab::Git.ref_name(ref)
+  end
+
+  def create?
+    Gitlab::Git.blank_ref?(revision_before)
+  end
+
+  def remove?
+    Gitlab::Git.blank_ref?(revision_after)
+  end
+
+  def action
+    if create?
+      :created
+    elsif remove?
+      :removed
+    else
+      :pushed
+    end
+  end
+
+  def ref_type
+    if Gitlab::Git.tag_ref?(ref)
+      :tag
+    else
+      :branch
+    end
+  end
+end
diff --git a/app/views/events/_commit.html.haml b/app/views/events/_commit.html.haml
index ad434a64556..98cdcca3ecc 100644
--- a/app/views/events/_commit.html.haml
+++ b/app/views/events/_commit.html.haml
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 %li.commit
   .commit-row-title
-    = link_to truncate_sha(commit[:id]), project_commit_path(project, commit[:id]), class: "commit-sha", alt: '', title: truncate_sha(commit[:id])
+    = link_to truncate_sha(event.commit_id), project_commit_path(project, event.commit_id), class: "commit-sha", alt: '', title: truncate_sha(event.commit_id)
     &middot;
-    = markdown event_commit_title(commit[:message]), project: project, pipeline: :single_line, author: event.author
+    = markdown event_commit_title(event.commit_title), project: project, pipeline: :single_line, author: event.author
diff --git a/app/views/events/_event_push.atom.haml b/app/views/events/_event_push.atom.haml
index 9fcacfbbf36..bf655f9d21a 100644
--- a/app/views/events/_event_push.atom.haml
+++ b/app/views/events/_event_push.atom.haml
@@ -1,14 +1,13 @@
 %div{ xmlns: "http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" }
-  - event.commits.first(15).each do |commit|
-    %p
-      %strong= commit[:author][:name]
-      = link_to "(##{truncate_sha(commit[:id])})", project_commit_path(event.project, id: commit[:id])
-      %i
-        at
-        = commit[:timestamp].to_time.to_s(:short)
-    %blockquote= markdown(escape_once(commit[:message]), pipeline: :atom, project: event.project, author: event.author)
-  - if event.commits_count > 15
+  %p
+    %strong= event.author_name
+    = link_to "(#{truncate_sha(event.commit_id)})", project_commit_path(event.project, event.commit_id)
+    %i
+      at
+      = event.created_at.to_s(:short)
+  %blockquote= markdown(escape_once(event.commit_title), pipeline: :atom, project: event.project, author: event.author)
+  - if event.commits_count > 1
     %p
       %i
         \... and
-        = pluralize(event.commits_count - 15, "more commit")
+        = pluralize(event.commits_count - 1, "more commit")
diff --git a/app/views/events/event/_push.html.haml b/app/views/events/event/_push.html.haml
index 54b414cc62a..973c652ad88 100644
--- a/app/views/events/event/_push.html.haml
+++ b/app/views/events/event/_push.html.haml
@@ -14,9 +14,7 @@
 - if event.push_with_commits?
   .event-body
     %ul.well-list.event_commits
-      - few_commits = event.commits[0...2]
-      - few_commits.each do |commit|
-        = render "events/commit", commit: commit, project: project, event: event
+      = render "events/commit", project: project, event: event
 
       - create_mr = event.new_ref? && create_mr_button?(project.default_branch, event.ref_name, project) && event.authored_by?(current_user)
       - if event.commits_count > 1
@@ -44,9 +42,6 @@
           = link_to create_mr_path(project.default_branch, event.ref_name, project) do
             Create Merge Request
 - elsif event.rm_ref?
-  - repository = project.repository
-  - last_commit = repository.commit(event.commit_from)
-  - if last_commit
-    .event-body
-      %ul.well-list.event_commits
-        = render "events/commit", commit: last_commit, project: project, event: event
+  .event-body
+    %ul.well-list.event_commits
+      = render "events/commit", project: project, event: event
diff --git a/changelogs/unreleased/migrate-events-into-a-new-format.yml b/changelogs/unreleased/migrate-events-into-a-new-format.yml
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..8a29f75323f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/changelogs/unreleased/migrate-events-into-a-new-format.yml
@@ -0,0 +1,4 @@
+---
+title: Migrate events into a new format to reduce the storage necessary and improve performance
+merge_request:
+author:
diff --git a/db/migrate/20170608152747_prepare_events_table_for_push_events_migration.rb b/db/migrate/20170608152747_prepare_events_table_for_push_events_migration.rb
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..f4f03bbabaf
--- /dev/null
+++ b/db/migrate/20170608152747_prepare_events_table_for_push_events_migration.rb
@@ -0,0 +1,51 @@
+# See http://doc.gitlab.com/ce/development/migration_style_guide.html
+# for more information on how to write migrations for GitLab.
+
+class PrepareEventsTableForPushEventsMigration < ActiveRecord::Migration
+  include Gitlab::Database::MigrationHelpers
+
+  # Set this constant to true if this migration requires downtime.
+  DOWNTIME = false
+
+  disable_ddl_transaction!
+
+  def up
+    # The order of these columns is deliberate and results in the following
+    # columns and sizes:
+    #
+    # * id (4 bytes)
+    # * project_id (4 bytes)
+    # * author_id (4 bytes)
+    # * target_id (4 bytes)
+    # * created_at (8 bytes)
+    # * updated_at (8 bytes)
+    # * action (2 bytes)
+    # * target_type (variable)
+    #
+    # Unfortunately we can't make the "id" column a bigint/bigserial as Rails 4
+    # does not support this properly.
+    create_table :events_for_migration do |t|
+      t.references :project,
+                   index: true,
+                   foreign_key: { on_delete: :cascade }
+
+      t.integer :author_id, index: true, null: false
+      t.integer :target_id
+
+      t.timestamps_with_timezone null: false
+
+      t.integer :action, null: false, limit: 2, index: true
+      t.string :target_type
+
+      t.index %i[target_type target_id]
+    end
+
+    # t.references doesn't like it when the column name doesn't make the table
+    # name so we have to add the foreign key separately.
+    add_concurrent_foreign_key(:events_for_migration, :users, column: :author_id)
+  end
+
+  def down
+    drop_table :events_for_migration
+  end
+end
diff --git a/db/migrate/20170608152748_create_push_event_payloads_tables.rb b/db/migrate/20170608152748_create_push_event_payloads_tables.rb
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..6c55ad1f2f7
--- /dev/null
+++ b/db/migrate/20170608152748_create_push_event_payloads_tables.rb
@@ -0,0 +1,46 @@
+# See http://doc.gitlab.com/ce/development/migration_style_guide.html
+# for more information on how to write migrations for GitLab.
+
+class CreatePushEventPayloadsTables < ActiveRecord::Migration
+  include Gitlab::Database::MigrationHelpers
+
+  # Set this constant to true if this migration requires downtime.
+  DOWNTIME = false
+
+  disable_ddl_transaction!
+
+  def up
+    create_table :push_event_payloads, id: false do |t|
+      t.bigint :commit_count, null: false
+
+      t.integer :event_id, null: false
+      t.integer :action, null: false, limit: 2
+      t.integer :ref_type, null: false, limit: 2
+
+      t.binary :commit_from
+      t.binary :commit_to
+
+      t.text :ref
+      t.string :commit_title, limit: 70
+
+      t.index :event_id, unique: true
+    end
+
+    # We're adding a foreign key to the _shadow_ table, and this is deliberate.
+    # By using the shadow table we don't have to recreate/revalidate this
+    # foreign key after swapping the "events_for_migration" and "events" tables.
+    #
+    # The "events_for_migration" table has a foreign key to "projects.id"
+    # ensuring that project removals also remove events from the shadow table
+    # (and thus also from this table).
+    add_concurrent_foreign_key(
+      :push_event_payloads,
+      :events_for_migration,
+      column: :event_id
+    )
+  end
+
+  def down
+    drop_table :push_event_payloads
+  end
+end
diff --git a/db/post_migrate/20170627101016_schedule_event_migrations.rb b/db/post_migrate/20170627101016_schedule_event_migrations.rb
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..1f34375ff0d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/db/post_migrate/20170627101016_schedule_event_migrations.rb
@@ -0,0 +1,40 @@
+# See http://doc.gitlab.com/ce/development/migration_style_guide.html
+# for more information on how to write migrations for GitLab.
+
+class ScheduleEventMigrations < ActiveRecord::Migration
+  include Gitlab::Database::MigrationHelpers
+
+  DOWNTIME = false
+  BUFFER_SIZE = 1000
+
+  disable_ddl_transaction!
+
+  class Event < ActiveRecord::Base
+    include EachBatch
+
+    self.table_name = 'events'
+  end
+
+  def up
+    jobs = []
+
+    Event.each_batch(of: 1000) do |relation|
+      min, max = relation.pluck('MIN(id), MAX(id)').first
+
+      if jobs.length == BUFFER_SIZE
+        # We push multiple jobs at a time to reduce the time spent in
+        # Sidekiq/Redis operations. We're using this buffer based approach so we
+        # don't need to run additional queries for every range.
+        BackgroundMigrationWorker.perform_bulk(jobs)
+        jobs.clear
+      end
+
+      jobs << ['MigrateEventsToPushEventPayloads', [min, max]]
+    end
+
+    BackgroundMigrationWorker.perform_bulk(jobs) unless jobs.empty?
+  end
+
+  def down
+  end
+end
diff --git a/db/schema.rb b/db/schema.rb
index ed3cf70bcdd..8a2df991f0d 100644
--- a/db/schema.rb
+++ b/db/schema.rb
@@ -534,6 +534,21 @@ ActiveRecord::Schema.define(version: 20170807160457) do
   add_index "events", ["target_id"], name: "index_events_on_target_id", using: :btree
   add_index "events", ["target_type"], name: "index_events_on_target_type", using: :btree
 
+  create_table "events_for_migration", force: :cascade do |t|
+    t.integer "project_id"
+    t.integer "author_id", null: false
+    t.integer "target_id"
+    t.datetime "created_at", null: false
+    t.datetime "updated_at", null: false
+    t.integer "action", limit: 2, null: false
+    t.string "target_type"
+  end
+
+  add_index "events_for_migration", ["action"], name: "index_events_for_migration_on_action", using: :btree
+  add_index "events_for_migration", ["author_id"], name: "index_events_for_migration_on_author_id", using: :btree
+  add_index "events_for_migration", ["project_id"], name: "index_events_for_migration_on_project_id", using: :btree
+  add_index "events_for_migration", ["target_type", "target_id"], name: "index_events_for_migration_on_target_type_and_target_id", using: :btree
+
   create_table "feature_gates", force: :cascade do |t|
     t.string "feature_key", null: false
     t.string "key", null: false
@@ -1254,6 +1269,19 @@ ActiveRecord::Schema.define(version: 20170807160457) do
 
   add_index "protected_tags", ["project_id"], name: "index_protected_tags_on_project_id", using: :btree
 
+  create_table "push_event_payloads", id: false, force: :cascade do |t|
+    t.integer "commit_count", limit: 8, null: false
+    t.integer "event_id", null: false
+    t.integer "action", limit: 2, null: false
+    t.integer "ref_type", limit: 2, null: false
+    t.binary "commit_from"
+    t.binary "commit_to"
+    t.text "ref"
+    t.string "commit_title", limit: 70
+  end
+
+  add_index "push_event_payloads", ["event_id"], name: "index_push_event_payloads_on_event_id", unique: true, using: :btree
+
   create_table "redirect_routes", force: :cascade do |t|
     t.integer "source_id", null: false
     t.string "source_type", null: false
@@ -1654,6 +1682,8 @@ ActiveRecord::Schema.define(version: 20170807160457) do
   add_foreign_key "deployments", "projects", name: "fk_b9a3851b82", on_delete: :cascade
   add_foreign_key "environments", "projects", name: "fk_d1c8c1da6a", on_delete: :cascade
   add_foreign_key "events", "projects", name: "fk_0434b48643", on_delete: :cascade
+  add_foreign_key "events_for_migration", "projects", on_delete: :cascade
+  add_foreign_key "events_for_migration", "users", column: "author_id", name: "fk_edfd187b6f", on_delete: :cascade
   add_foreign_key "forked_project_links", "projects", column: "forked_to_project_id", name: "fk_434510edb0", on_delete: :cascade
   add_foreign_key "gpg_keys", "users", on_delete: :cascade
   add_foreign_key "gpg_signatures", "gpg_keys", on_delete: :nullify
@@ -1696,6 +1726,7 @@ ActiveRecord::Schema.define(version: 20170807160457) do
   add_foreign_key "protected_tag_create_access_levels", "protected_tags"
   add_foreign_key "protected_tag_create_access_levels", "users"
   add_foreign_key "protected_tags", "projects", name: "fk_8e4af87648", on_delete: :cascade
+  add_foreign_key "push_event_payloads", "events_for_migration", column: "event_id", name: "fk_36c74129da", on_delete: :cascade
   add_foreign_key "releases", "projects", name: "fk_47fe2a0596", on_delete: :cascade
   add_foreign_key "services", "projects", name: "fk_71cce407f9", on_delete: :cascade
   add_foreign_key "snippets", "projects", name: "fk_be41fd4bb7", on_delete: :cascade
diff --git a/doc/api/events.md b/doc/api/events.md
index 3d5170f3f1e..129af0afa35 100644
--- a/doc/api/events.md
+++ b/doc/api/events.md
@@ -79,7 +79,6 @@ Example response:
     "target_id":160,
     "target_type":"Issue",
     "author_id":25,
-    "data":null,
     "target_title":"Qui natus eos odio tempore et quaerat consequuntur ducimus cupiditate quis.",
     "created_at":"2017-02-09T10:43:19.667Z",
     "author":{
@@ -99,7 +98,6 @@ Example response:
     "target_id":159,
     "target_type":"Issue",
     "author_id":21,
-    "data":null,
     "target_title":"Nostrum enim non et sed optio illo deleniti non.",
     "created_at":"2017-02-09T10:43:19.426Z",
     "author":{
@@ -151,7 +149,6 @@ Example response:
     "target_id": 830,
     "target_type": "Issue",
     "author_id": 1,
-    "data": null,
     "target_title": "Public project search field",
     "author": {
       "name": "Dmitriy Zaporozhets",
@@ -166,7 +163,7 @@ Example response:
   {
     "title": null,
     "project_id": 15,
-    "action_name": "opened",
+    "action_name": "pushed",
     "target_id": null,
     "target_type": null,
     "author_id": 1,
@@ -179,31 +176,14 @@ Example response:
       "web_url": "http://localhost:3000/root"
     },
     "author_username": "john",
-    "data": {
-      "before": "50d4420237a9de7be1304607147aec22e4a14af7",
-      "after": "c5feabde2d8cd023215af4d2ceeb7a64839fc428",
-      "ref": "refs/heads/master",
-      "user_id": 1,
-      "user_name": "Dmitriy Zaporozhets",
-      "repository": {
-        "name": "gitlabhq",
-        "url": "git@dev.gitlab.org:gitlab/gitlabhq.git",
-        "description": "GitLab: self hosted Git management software. \r\nDistributed under the MIT License.",
-        "homepage": "https://dev.gitlab.org/gitlab/gitlabhq"
-      },
-      "commits": [
-        {
-          "id": "c5feabde2d8cd023215af4d2ceeb7a64839fc428",
-          "message": "Add simple search to projects in public area",
-          "timestamp": "2013-05-13T18:18:08+00:00",
-          "url": "https://dev.gitlab.org/gitlab/gitlabhq/commit/c5feabde2d8cd023215af4d2ceeb7a64839fc428",
-          "author": {
-            "name": "Dmitriy Zaporozhets",
-            "email": "dmitriy.zaporozhets@gmail.com"
-          }
-        }
-      ],
-      "total_commits_count": 1
+    "push_data": {
+      "commit_count": 1,
+      "action": "pushed",
+      "ref_type": "branch",
+      "commit_from": "50d4420237a9de7be1304607147aec22e4a14af7",
+      "commit_to": "c5feabde2d8cd023215af4d2ceeb7a64839fc428",
+      "ref": "master",
+      "commit_title": "Add simple search to projects in public area"
     },
     "target_title": null
   },
@@ -214,7 +194,6 @@ Example response:
     "target_id": 840,
     "target_type": "Issue",
     "author_id": 1,
-    "data": null,
     "target_title": "Finish & merge Code search PR",
     "author": {
       "name": "Dmitriy Zaporozhets",
@@ -233,7 +212,6 @@ Example response:
     "target_id": 1312,
     "target_type": "Note",
     "author_id": 1,
-    "data": null,
     "target_title": null,
     "created_at": "2015-12-04T10:33:58.089Z",
     "note": {
@@ -305,7 +283,6 @@ Example response:
     "target_iid":160,
     "target_type":"Issue",
     "author_id":25,
-    "data":null,
     "target_title":"Qui natus eos odio tempore et quaerat consequuntur ducimus cupiditate quis.",
     "created_at":"2017-02-09T10:43:19.667Z",
     "author":{
@@ -326,7 +303,6 @@ Example response:
     "target_iid":159,
     "target_type":"Issue",
     "author_id":21,
-    "data":null,
     "target_title":"Nostrum enim non et sed optio illo deleniti non.",
     "created_at":"2017-02-09T10:43:19.426Z",
     "author":{
diff --git a/features/steps/shared/project.rb b/features/steps/shared/project.rb
index 00f7cded2ae..605c9a3ab71 100644
--- a/features/steps/shared/project.rb
+++ b/features/steps/shared/project.rb
@@ -71,28 +71,14 @@ module SharedProject
 
   step 'project "Shop" has push event' do
     @project = Project.find_by(name: "Shop")
-
-    data = {
-      before: Gitlab::Git::BLANK_SHA,
-      after: "6d394385cf567f80a8fd85055db1ab4c5295806f",
-      ref: "refs/heads/fix",
-      user_id: @user.id,
-      user_name: @user.name,
-      repository: {
-        name: @project.name,
-        url: "localhost/rubinius",
-        description: "",
-        homepage: "localhost/rubinius",
-        private: true
-      }
-    }
-
-    @event = Event.create(
-      project: @project,
-      action: Event::PUSHED,
-      data: data,
-      author_id: @user.id
-    )
+    @event = create(:push_event, project: @project, author: @user)
+
+    create(:push_event_payload,
+           event: @event,
+           action: :created,
+           commit_to: '6d394385cf567f80a8fd85055db1ab4c5295806f',
+           ref: 'fix',
+           commit_count: 1)
   end
 
   step 'I should see project "Shop" activity feed' do
diff --git a/lib/api/entities.rb b/lib/api/entities.rb
index 3bb1910a441..18cd604a216 100644
--- a/lib/api/entities.rb
+++ b/lib/api/entities.rb
@@ -497,14 +497,24 @@ module API
       expose :author, using: Entities::UserBasic
     end
 
+    class PushEventPayload < Grape::Entity
+      expose :commit_count, :action, :ref_type, :commit_from, :commit_to
+      expose :ref, :commit_title
+    end
+
     class Event < Grape::Entity
       expose :title, :project_id, :action_name
       expose :target_id, :target_iid, :target_type, :author_id
-      expose :data, :target_title
+      expose :target_title
       expose :created_at
       expose :note, using: Entities::Note, if: ->(event, options) { event.note? }
       expose :author, using: Entities::UserBasic, if: ->(event, options) { event.author }
 
+      expose :push_event_payload,
+        as: :push_data,
+        using: PushEventPayload,
+        if: -> (event, _) { event.push? }
+
       expose :author_username do |event, options|
         event.author&.username
       end
diff --git a/lib/api/v3/entities.rb b/lib/api/v3/entities.rb
index 4a2e9c9cbb0..a9a35f2a4bd 100644
--- a/lib/api/v3/entities.rb
+++ b/lib/api/v3/entities.rb
@@ -25,14 +25,24 @@ module API
         expose(:downvote?)  { |note| false }
       end
 
+      class PushEventPayload < Grape::Entity
+        expose :commit_count, :action, :ref_type, :commit_from, :commit_to
+        expose :ref, :commit_title
+      end
+
       class Event < Grape::Entity
         expose :title, :project_id, :action_name
         expose :target_id, :target_type, :author_id
-        expose :data, :target_title
+        expose :target_title
         expose :created_at
         expose :note, using: Entities::Note, if: ->(event, options) { event.note? }
         expose :author, using: ::API::Entities::UserBasic, if: ->(event, options) { event.author }
 
+        expose :push_event_payload,
+          as: :push_data,
+          using: PushEventPayload,
+          if: -> (event, _) { event.push? }
+
         expose :author_username do |event, options|
           event.author&.username
         end
diff --git a/lib/gitlab/background_migration/migrate_events_to_push_event_payloads.rb b/lib/gitlab/background_migration/migrate_events_to_push_event_payloads.rb
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..432f7c3e706
--- /dev/null
+++ b/lib/gitlab/background_migration/migrate_events_to_push_event_payloads.rb
@@ -0,0 +1,176 @@
+module Gitlab
+  module BackgroundMigration
+    # Class that migrates events for the new push event payloads setup. All
+    # events are copied to a shadow table, and push events will also have a row
+    # created in the push_event_payloads table.
+    class MigrateEventsToPushEventPayloads
+      class Event < ActiveRecord::Base
+        self.table_name = 'events'
+
+        serialize :data
+
+        BLANK_REF = ('0' * 40).freeze
+        TAG_REF_PREFIX = 'refs/tags/'.freeze
+        MAX_INDEX = 69
+        PUSHED = 5
+
+        def push_event?
+          action == PUSHED && data.present?
+        end
+
+        def commit_title
+          commit = commits.last
+
+          return nil unless commit && commit[:message]
+
+          index = commit[:message].index("\n")
+          message = index ? commit[:message][0..index] : commit[:message]
+
+          message.strip.truncate(70)
+        end
+
+        def commit_from_sha
+          if create?
+            nil
+          else
+            data[:before]
+          end
+        end
+
+        def commit_to_sha
+          if remove?
+            nil
+          else
+            data[:after]
+          end
+        end
+
+        def data
+          super || {}
+        end
+
+        def commits
+          data[:commits] || []
+        end
+
+        def commit_count
+          data[:total_commits_count] || 0
+        end
+
+        def ref
+          data[:ref]
+        end
+
+        def trimmed_ref_name
+          if ref_type == :tag
+            ref[10..-1]
+          else
+            ref[11..-1]
+          end
+        end
+
+        def create?
+          data[:before] == BLANK_REF
+        end
+
+        def remove?
+          data[:after] == BLANK_REF
+        end
+
+        def push_action
+          if create?
+            :created
+          elsif remove?
+            :removed
+          else
+            :pushed
+          end
+        end
+
+        def ref_type
+          if ref.start_with?(TAG_REF_PREFIX)
+            :tag
+          else
+            :branch
+          end
+        end
+      end
+
+      class EventForMigration < ActiveRecord::Base
+        self.table_name = 'events_for_migration'
+      end
+
+      class PushEventPayload < ActiveRecord::Base
+        self.table_name = 'push_event_payloads'
+
+        enum action: {
+          created: 0,
+          removed: 1,
+          pushed: 2
+        }
+
+        enum ref_type: {
+          branch: 0,
+          tag: 1
+        }
+      end
+
+      # start_id - The start ID of the range of events to process
+      # end_id - The end ID of the range to process.
+      def perform(start_id, end_id)
+        return unless migrate?
+
+        find_events(start_id, end_id).each { |event| process_event(event) }
+      end
+
+      def process_event(event)
+        replicate_event(event)
+        create_push_event_payload(event) if event.push_event?
+      end
+
+      def replicate_event(event)
+        new_attributes = event.attributes
+          .with_indifferent_access.except(:title, :data)
+
+        EventForMigration.create!(new_attributes)
+      rescue ActiveRecord::InvalidForeignKey
+        # A foreign key error means the associated event was removed. In this
+        # case we'll just skip migrating the event.
+      end
+
+      def create_push_event_payload(event)
+        commit_from = pack(event.commit_from_sha)
+        commit_to = pack(event.commit_to_sha)
+
+        PushEventPayload.create!(
+          event_id: event.id,
+          commit_count: event.commit_count,
+          ref_type: event.ref_type,
+          action: event.push_action,
+          commit_from: commit_from,
+          commit_to: commit_to,
+          ref: event.trimmed_ref_name,
+          commit_title: event.commit_title
+        )
+      rescue ActiveRecord::InvalidForeignKey
+        # A foreign key error means the associated event was removed. In this
+        # case we'll just skip migrating the event.
+      end
+
+      def find_events(start_id, end_id)
+        Event
+          .where('NOT EXISTS (SELECT true FROM events_for_migration WHERE events_for_migration.id = events.id)')
+          .where(id: start_id..end_id)
+      end
+
+      def migrate?
+        Event.table_exists? && PushEventPayload.table_exists? &&
+          EventForMigration.table_exists?
+      end
+
+      def pack(value)
+        value ? [value].pack('H*') : nil
+      end
+    end
+  end
+end
diff --git a/lib/gitlab/import_export/import_export.yml b/lib/gitlab/import_export/import_export.yml
index c5c05bfe2fb..9d9ebcb389a 100644
--- a/lib/gitlab/import_export/import_export.yml
+++ b/lib/gitlab/import_export/import_export.yml
@@ -3,18 +3,22 @@ project_tree:
   - labels:
       :priorities
   - milestones:
-    - :events
+    - events:
+      - :push_event_payload
   - issues:
-    - :events
+    - events:
+      - :push_event_payload
     - :timelogs
     - notes:
       - :author
-      - :events
+      - events:
+        - :push_event_payload
     - label_links:
       - label:
           :priorities
     - milestone:
-      - :events
+      - events:
+        - :push_event_payload
   - snippets:
     - :award_emoji
     - notes:
@@ -25,21 +29,25 @@ project_tree:
   - merge_requests:
     - notes:
       - :author
-      - :events
+      - events:
+        - :push_event_payload
     - merge_request_diff:
       - :merge_request_diff_commits
       - :merge_request_diff_files
-    - :events
+    - events:
+      - :push_event_payload
     - :timelogs
     - label_links:
       - label:
           :priorities
     - milestone:
-      - :events
+      - events:
+        - :push_event_payload
   - pipelines:
     - notes:
       - :author
-      - :events
+      - events:
+        - :push_event_payload
     - :stages
     - :statuses
   - :triggers
@@ -107,6 +115,8 @@ excluded_attributes:
   statuses:
     - :trace
     - :token
+  push_event_payload:
+    - :event_id
 
 methods:
   labels:
diff --git a/spec/controllers/users_controller_spec.rb b/spec/controllers/users_controller_spec.rb
index a64ad73cba8..2cecd2646fc 100644
--- a/spec/controllers/users_controller_spec.rb
+++ b/spec/controllers/users_controller_spec.rb
@@ -92,8 +92,14 @@ describe UsersController do
       before do
         sign_in(user)
         project.team << [user, :developer]
-        EventCreateService.new.push(project, user, [])
-        EventCreateService.new.push(forked_project, user, [])
+
+        push_data = Gitlab::DataBuilder::Push.build_sample(project, user)
+
+        fork_push_data = Gitlab::DataBuilder::Push
+          .build_sample(forked_project, user)
+
+        EventCreateService.new.push(project, user, push_data)
+        EventCreateService.new.push(forked_project, user, fork_push_data)
       end
 
       it 'includes forked projects' do
diff --git a/spec/factories/events.rb b/spec/factories/events.rb
index 11d2016955c..ad9f7e2caef 100644
--- a/spec/factories/events.rb
+++ b/spec/factories/events.rb
@@ -2,6 +2,7 @@ FactoryGirl.define do
   factory :event do
     project
     author factory: :user
+    action Event::JOINED
 
     trait(:created)   { action Event::CREATED }
     trait(:updated)   { action Event::UPDATED }
@@ -20,4 +21,19 @@ FactoryGirl.define do
       target factory: :closed_issue
     end
   end
+
+  factory :push_event, class: PushEvent do
+    project factory: :project_empty_repo
+    author factory: :user
+    action Event::PUSHED
+  end
+
+  factory :push_event_payload do
+    event
+    commit_count 1
+    action :pushed
+    ref_type :branch
+    ref 'master'
+    commit_to '3cdce97ed87c91368561584e7358f4d46e3e173c'
+  end
 end
diff --git a/spec/features/calendar_spec.rb b/spec/features/calendar_spec.rb
index 64fbc80cb81..9a597a2d690 100644
--- a/spec/features/calendar_spec.rb
+++ b/spec/features/calendar_spec.rb
@@ -42,14 +42,14 @@ feature 'Contributions Calendar', :js do
   end
 
   def push_code_contribution
-    push_params = {
-      project: contributed_project,
-      action: Event::PUSHED,
-      author_id: user.id,
-      data: { commit_count: 3 }
-    }
-
-    Event.create(push_params)
+    event = create(:push_event, project: contributed_project, author: user)
+
+    create(:push_event_payload,
+           event: event,
+           commit_from: '11f9ac0a48b62cef25eedede4c1819964f08d5ce',
+           commit_to: '1cf19a015df3523caf0a1f9d40c98a267d6a2fc2',
+           commit_count: 3,
+           ref: 'master')
   end
 
   def note_comment_contribution
diff --git a/spec/features/dashboard/activity_spec.rb b/spec/features/dashboard/activity_spec.rb
index 4917dfcf1d1..582868bac1e 100644
--- a/spec/features/dashboard/activity_spec.rb
+++ b/spec/features/dashboard/activity_spec.rb
@@ -23,27 +23,19 @@ feature 'Dashboard > Activity' do
       create(:merge_request, author: user, source_project: project, target_project: project)
     end
 
-    let(:push_event_data) do
-      {
-        before: Gitlab::Git::BLANK_SHA,
-        after: '0220c11b9a3e6c69dc8fd35321254ca9a7b98f7e',
-        ref: 'refs/heads/new_design',
-        user_id: user.id,
-        user_name: user.name,
-        repository: {
-          name: project.name,
-          url: 'localhost/rubinius',
-          description: '',
-          homepage: 'localhost/rubinius',
-          private: true
-        }
-      }
-    end
-
     let(:note) { create(:note, project: project, noteable: merge_request) }
 
     let!(:push_event) do
-      create(:event, :pushed, data: push_event_data, project: project, author: user)
+      event = create(:push_event, project: project, author: user)
+
+      create(:push_event_payload,
+             event: event,
+             action: :created,
+             commit_to: '0220c11b9a3e6c69dc8fd35321254ca9a7b98f7e',
+             ref: 'new_design',
+             commit_count: 1)
+
+      event
     end
 
     let!(:merged_event) do
diff --git a/spec/finders/contributed_projects_finder_spec.rb b/spec/finders/contributed_projects_finder_spec.rb
index 2d079ea83b4..60ea98e61c7 100644
--- a/spec/finders/contributed_projects_finder_spec.rb
+++ b/spec/finders/contributed_projects_finder_spec.rb
@@ -14,8 +14,8 @@ describe ContributedProjectsFinder do
     private_project.add_developer(current_user)
     public_project.add_master(source_user)
 
-    create(:event, :pushed, project: public_project, target: public_project, author: source_user)
-    create(:event, :pushed, project: private_project, target: private_project, author: source_user)
+    create(:push_event, project: public_project, author: source_user)
+    create(:push_event, project: private_project, author: source_user)
   end
 
   describe 'without a current user' do
diff --git a/spec/lib/event_filter_spec.rb b/spec/lib/event_filter_spec.rb
index b0efcab47fb..87ae6b6cf01 100644
--- a/spec/lib/event_filter_spec.rb
+++ b/spec/lib/event_filter_spec.rb
@@ -5,7 +5,7 @@ describe EventFilter do
     let(:source_user) { create(:user) }
     let!(:public_project) { create(:project, :public) }
 
-    let!(:push_event)     { create(:event, :pushed,    project: public_project, target: public_project, author: source_user) }
+    let!(:push_event)     { create(:push_event,        project: public_project, author: source_user) }
     let!(:merged_event)   { create(:event, :merged,    project: public_project, target: public_project, author: source_user) }
     let!(:created_event)  { create(:event, :created,   project: public_project, target: public_project, author: source_user) }
     let!(:updated_event)  { create(:event, :updated,   project: public_project, target: public_project, author: source_user) }
diff --git a/spec/lib/gitlab/background_migration/migrate_events_to_push_event_payloads_spec.rb b/spec/lib/gitlab/background_migration/migrate_events_to_push_event_payloads_spec.rb
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..87f45619e7a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/spec/lib/gitlab/background_migration/migrate_events_to_push_event_payloads_spec.rb
@@ -0,0 +1,423 @@
+require 'spec_helper'
+
+describe Gitlab::BackgroundMigration::MigrateEventsToPushEventPayloads::Event do
+  describe '#commit_title' do
+    it 'returns nil when there are no commits' do
+      expect(described_class.new.commit_title).to be_nil
+    end
+
+    it 'returns nil when there are commits without commit messages' do
+      event = described_class.new
+
+      allow(event).to receive(:commits).and_return([{ id: '123' }])
+
+      expect(event.commit_title).to be_nil
+    end
+
+    it 'returns the commit message when it is less than 70 characters long' do
+      event = described_class.new
+
+      allow(event).to receive(:commits).and_return([{ message: 'Hello world' }])
+
+      expect(event.commit_title).to eq('Hello world')
+    end
+
+    it 'returns the first line of a commit message if multiple lines are present' do
+      event = described_class.new
+
+      allow(event).to receive(:commits).and_return([{ message: "Hello\n\nworld" }])
+
+      expect(event.commit_title).to eq('Hello')
+    end
+
+    it 'truncates the commit to 70 characters when it is too long' do
+      event = described_class.new
+
+      allow(event).to receive(:commits).and_return([{ message: 'a' * 100 }])
+
+      expect(event.commit_title).to eq(('a' * 67) + '...')
+    end
+  end
+
+  describe '#commit_from_sha' do
+    it 'returns nil when pushing to a new ref' do
+      event = described_class.new
+
+      allow(event).to receive(:create?).and_return(true)
+
+      expect(event.commit_from_sha).to be_nil
+    end
+
+    it 'returns the ID of the first commit when pushing to an existing ref' do
+      event = described_class.new
+
+      allow(event).to receive(:create?).and_return(false)
+      allow(event).to receive(:data).and_return(before: '123')
+
+      expect(event.commit_from_sha).to eq('123')
+    end
+  end
+
+  describe '#commit_to_sha' do
+    it 'returns nil when removing an existing ref' do
+      event = described_class.new
+
+      allow(event).to receive(:remove?).and_return(true)
+
+      expect(event.commit_to_sha).to be_nil
+    end
+
+    it 'returns the ID of the last commit when pushing to an existing ref' do
+      event = described_class.new
+
+      allow(event).to receive(:remove?).and_return(false)
+      allow(event).to receive(:data).and_return(after: '123')
+
+      expect(event.commit_to_sha).to eq('123')
+    end
+  end
+
+  describe '#data' do
+    it 'returns the deserialized data' do
+      event = described_class.new(data: { before: '123' })
+
+      expect(event.data).to eq(before: '123')
+    end
+
+    it 'returns an empty hash when no data is present' do
+      event = described_class.new
+
+      expect(event.data).to eq({})
+    end
+  end
+
+  describe '#commits' do
+    it 'returns an Array of commits' do
+      event = described_class.new(data: { commits: [{ id: '123' }] })
+
+      expect(event.commits).to eq([{ id: '123' }])
+    end
+
+    it 'returns an empty array when no data is present' do
+      event = described_class.new
+
+      expect(event.commits).to eq([])
+    end
+  end
+
+  describe '#commit_count' do
+    it 'returns the number of commits' do
+      event = described_class.new(data: { total_commits_count: 2 })
+
+      expect(event.commit_count).to eq(2)
+    end
+
+    it 'returns 0 when no data is present' do
+      event = described_class.new
+
+      expect(event.commit_count).to eq(0)
+    end
+  end
+
+  describe '#ref' do
+    it 'returns the name of the ref' do
+      event = described_class.new(data: { ref: 'refs/heads/master' })
+
+      expect(event.ref).to eq('refs/heads/master')
+    end
+  end
+
+  describe '#trimmed_ref_name' do
+    it 'returns the trimmed ref name for a branch' do
+      event = described_class.new(data: { ref: 'refs/heads/master' })
+
+      expect(event.trimmed_ref_name).to eq('master')
+    end
+
+    it 'returns the trimmed ref name for a tag' do
+      event = described_class.new(data: { ref: 'refs/tags/v1.2' })
+
+      expect(event.trimmed_ref_name).to eq('v1.2')
+    end
+  end
+
+  describe '#create?' do
+    it 'returns true when creating a new ref' do
+      event = described_class.new(data: { before: described_class::BLANK_REF })
+
+      expect(event.create?).to eq(true)
+    end
+
+    it 'returns false when pushing to an existing ref' do
+      event = described_class.new(data: { before: '123' })
+
+      expect(event.create?).to eq(false)
+    end
+  end
+
+  describe '#remove?' do
+    it 'returns true when removing an existing ref' do
+      event = described_class.new(data: { after: described_class::BLANK_REF })
+
+      expect(event.remove?).to eq(true)
+    end
+
+    it 'returns false when pushing to an existing ref' do
+      event = described_class.new(data: { after: '123' })
+
+      expect(event.remove?).to eq(false)
+    end
+  end
+
+  describe '#push_action' do
+    let(:event) { described_class.new }
+
+    it 'returns :created when creating a new ref' do
+      allow(event).to receive(:create?).and_return(true)
+
+      expect(event.push_action).to eq(:created)
+    end
+
+    it 'returns :removed when removing an existing ref' do
+      allow(event).to receive(:create?).and_return(false)
+      allow(event).to receive(:remove?).and_return(true)
+
+      expect(event.push_action).to eq(:removed)
+    end
+
+    it 'returns :pushed when pushing to an existing ref' do
+      allow(event).to receive(:create?).and_return(false)
+      allow(event).to receive(:remove?).and_return(false)
+
+      expect(event.push_action).to eq(:pushed)
+    end
+  end
+
+  describe '#ref_type' do
+    let(:event) { described_class.new }
+
+    it 'returns :tag for a tag' do
+      allow(event).to receive(:ref).and_return('refs/tags/1.2')
+
+      expect(event.ref_type).to eq(:tag)
+    end
+
+    it 'returns :branch for a branch' do
+      allow(event).to receive(:ref).and_return('refs/heads/1.2')
+
+      expect(event.ref_type).to eq(:branch)
+    end
+  end
+end
+
+describe Gitlab::BackgroundMigration::MigrateEventsToPushEventPayloads do
+  let(:migration) { described_class.new }
+  let(:project) { create(:project_empty_repo) }
+  let(:author) { create(:user) }
+
+  # We can not rely on FactoryGirl as the state of Event may change in ways that
+  # the background migration does not expect, hence we use the Event class of
+  # the migration itself.
+  def create_push_event(project, author, data = nil)
+    klass = Gitlab::BackgroundMigration::MigrateEventsToPushEventPayloads::Event
+
+    klass.create!(
+      action: klass::PUSHED,
+      project_id: project.id,
+      author_id: author.id,
+      data: data
+    )
+  end
+
+  # The background migration relies on a temporary table, hence we're migrating
+  # to a specific version of the database where said table is still present.
+  before :all do
+    ActiveRecord::Migration.verbose = false
+
+    ActiveRecord::Migrator
+      .migrate(ActiveRecord::Migrator.migrations_paths, 20170608152748)
+  end
+
+  after :all do
+    ActiveRecord::Migrator.migrate(ActiveRecord::Migrator.migrations_paths)
+
+    ActiveRecord::Migration.verbose = true
+  end
+
+  describe '#perform' do
+    it 'returns if data should not be migrated' do
+      allow(migration).to receive(:migrate?).and_return(false)
+
+      expect(migration).not_to receive(:find_events)
+
+      migration.perform(1, 10)
+    end
+
+    it 'migrates the range of events if data is to be migrated' do
+      event1 = create_push_event(project, author, { commits: [] })
+      event2 = create_push_event(project, author, { commits: [] })
+
+      allow(migration).to receive(:migrate?).and_return(true)
+
+      expect(migration).to receive(:process_event).twice
+
+      migration.perform(event1.id, event2.id)
+    end
+  end
+
+  describe '#process_event' do
+    it 'processes a regular event' do
+      event = double(:event, push_event?: false)
+
+      expect(migration).to receive(:replicate_event)
+      expect(migration).not_to receive(:create_push_event_payload)
+
+      migration.process_event(event)
+    end
+
+    it 'processes a push event' do
+      event = double(:event, push_event?: true)
+
+      expect(migration).to receive(:replicate_event)
+      expect(migration).to receive(:create_push_event_payload)
+
+      migration.process_event(event)
+    end
+  end
+
+  describe '#replicate_event' do
+    it 'replicates the event to the "events_for_migration" table' do
+      event = create_push_event(
+        project,
+        author,
+        data: { commits: [] },
+        title: 'bla'
+      )
+
+      attributes = event
+        .attributes.with_indifferent_access.except(:title, :data)
+
+      expect(described_class::EventForMigration)
+        .to receive(:create!)
+        .with(attributes)
+
+      migration.replicate_event(event)
+    end
+  end
+
+  describe '#create_push_event_payload' do
+    let(:push_data) do
+      {
+        commits: [],
+        ref: 'refs/heads/master',
+        before: '156e0e9adc587a383a7eeb5b21ddecb9044768a8',
+        after: '0' * 40,
+        total_commits_count: 1
+      }
+    end
+
+    let(:event) do
+      create_push_event(project, author, push_data)
+    end
+
+    before do
+      # The foreign key in push_event_payloads at this point points to the
+      # "events_for_migration" table so we need to make sure a row exists in
+      # said table.
+      migration.replicate_event(event)
+    end
+
+    it 'creates a push event payload for an event' do
+      payload = migration.create_push_event_payload(event)
+
+      expect(PushEventPayload.count).to eq(1)
+      expect(payload.valid?).to eq(true)
+    end
+
+    it 'does not create push event payloads for removed events' do
+      allow(event).to receive(:id).and_return(-1)
+
+      payload = migration.create_push_event_payload(event)
+
+      expect(payload).to be_nil
+      expect(PushEventPayload.count).to eq(0)
+    end
+
+    it 'encodes and decodes the commit IDs from and to binary data' do
+      payload = migration.create_push_event_payload(event)
+      packed = migration.pack(push_data[:before])
+
+      expect(payload.commit_from).to eq(packed)
+      expect(payload.commit_to).to be_nil
+    end
+  end
+
+  describe '#find_events' do
+    it 'returns the events for the given ID range' do
+      event1 = create_push_event(project, author, { commits: [] })
+      event2 = create_push_event(project, author, { commits: [] })
+      event3 = create_push_event(project, author, { commits: [] })
+      events = migration.find_events(event1.id, event2.id)
+
+      expect(events.length).to eq(2)
+      expect(events.pluck(:id)).not_to include(event3.id)
+    end
+  end
+
+  describe '#migrate?' do
+    it 'returns true when data should be migrated' do
+      allow(described_class::Event)
+        .to receive(:table_exists?).and_return(true)
+
+      allow(described_class::PushEventPayload)
+        .to receive(:table_exists?).and_return(true)
+
+      allow(described_class::EventForMigration)
+        .to receive(:table_exists?).and_return(true)
+
+      expect(migration.migrate?).to eq(true)
+    end
+
+    it 'returns false if the "events" table does not exist' do
+      allow(described_class::Event)
+        .to receive(:table_exists?).and_return(false)
+
+      expect(migration.migrate?).to eq(false)
+    end
+
+    it 'returns false if the "push_event_payloads" table does not exist' do
+      allow(described_class::Event)
+        .to receive(:table_exists?).and_return(true)
+
+      allow(described_class::PushEventPayload)
+        .to receive(:table_exists?).and_return(false)
+
+      expect(migration.migrate?).to eq(false)
+    end
+
+    it 'returns false when the "events_for_migration" table does not exist' do
+      allow(described_class::Event)
+        .to receive(:table_exists?).and_return(true)
+
+      allow(described_class::PushEventPayload)
+        .to receive(:table_exists?).and_return(true)
+
+      allow(described_class::EventForMigration)
+        .to receive(:table_exists?).and_return(false)
+
+      expect(migration.migrate?).to eq(false)
+    end
+  end
+
+  describe '#pack' do
+    it 'packs a SHA1 into a 20 byte binary string' do
+      packed = migration.pack('156e0e9adc587a383a7eeb5b21ddecb9044768a8')
+
+      expect(packed.bytesize).to eq(20)
+    end
+
+    it 'returns nil if the input value is nil' do
+      expect(migration.pack(nil)).to be_nil
+    end
+  end
+end
diff --git a/spec/lib/gitlab/import_export/all_models.yml b/spec/lib/gitlab/import_export/all_models.yml
index 6a41afe0c25..8da02b0cf00 100644
--- a/spec/lib/gitlab/import_export/all_models.yml
+++ b/spec/lib/gitlab/import_export/all_models.yml
@@ -22,6 +22,7 @@ events:
 - author
 - project
 - target
+- push_event_payload
 notes:
 - award_emoji
 - project
@@ -272,3 +273,5 @@ timelogs:
 - issue
 - merge_request
 - user
+push_event_payload:
+- event
diff --git a/spec/lib/gitlab/import_export/safe_model_attributes.yml b/spec/lib/gitlab/import_export/safe_model_attributes.yml
index 4dce48f8079..ae3b0173160 100644
--- a/spec/lib/gitlab/import_export/safe_model_attributes.yml
+++ b/spec/lib/gitlab/import_export/safe_model_attributes.yml
@@ -36,6 +36,14 @@ Event:
 - updated_at
 - action
 - author_id
+PushEventPayload:
+- commit_count
+- action
+- ref_type
+- commit_from
+- commit_to
+- ref
+- commit_title
 Note:
 - id
 - note
diff --git a/spec/models/event_spec.rb b/spec/models/event_spec.rb
index d86bf1a90a9..ff3224dd298 100644
--- a/spec/models/event_spec.rb
+++ b/spec/models/event_spec.rb
@@ -304,27 +304,15 @@ describe Event do
     end
   end
 
-  def create_push_event(project, user, attrs = {})
-    data = {
-      before: Gitlab::Git::BLANK_SHA,
-      after: "0220c11b9a3e6c69dc8fd35321254ca9a7b98f7e",
-      ref: "refs/heads/master",
-      user_id: user.id,
-      user_name: user.name,
-      repository: {
-        name: project.name,
-        url: "localhost/rubinius",
-        description: "",
-        homepage: "localhost/rubinius",
-        private: true
-      }
-    }
-
-    described_class.create({
-      project: project,
-      action: described_class::PUSHED,
-      data: data,
-      author_id: user.id
-    }.merge!(attrs))
+  def create_push_event(project, user)
+    event = create(:push_event, project: project, author: user)
+
+    create(:push_event_payload,
+           event: event,
+           commit_to: '1cf19a015df3523caf0a1f9d40c98a267d6a2fc2',
+           commit_count: 0,
+           ref: 'master')
+
+    event
   end
 end
diff --git a/spec/models/members/project_member_spec.rb b/spec/models/members/project_member_spec.rb
index f1d1f37c78a..fa3e80ba062 100644
--- a/spec/models/members/project_member_spec.rb
+++ b/spec/models/members/project_member_spec.rb
@@ -149,7 +149,7 @@ describe ProjectMember do
   describe 'notifications' do
     describe '#after_accept_request' do
       it 'calls NotificationService.new_project_member' do
-        member = create(:project_member, user: build_stubbed(:user), requested_at: Time.now)
+        member = create(:project_member, user: create(:user), requested_at: Time.now)
 
         expect_any_instance_of(NotificationService).to receive(:new_project_member)
 
diff --git a/spec/models/project_spec.rb b/spec/models/project_spec.rb
index 4a80f41cdc9..b07a287f6eb 100644
--- a/spec/models/project_spec.rb
+++ b/spec/models/project_spec.rb
@@ -485,7 +485,7 @@ describe Project do
 
     describe 'last_activity' do
       it 'alias last_activity to last_event' do
-        last_event = create(:event, project: project)
+        last_event = create(:event, :closed, project: project)
 
         expect(project.last_activity).to eq(last_event)
       end
@@ -493,7 +493,7 @@ describe Project do
 
     describe 'last_activity_date' do
       it 'returns the creation date of the project\'s last event if present' do
-        new_event = create(:event, project: project, created_at: Time.now)
+        new_event = create(:event, :closed, project: project, created_at: Time.now)
 
         project.reload
         expect(project.last_activity_at.to_i).to eq(new_event.created_at.to_i)
diff --git a/spec/models/push_event_payload_spec.rb b/spec/models/push_event_payload_spec.rb
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..a049ad35584
--- /dev/null
+++ b/spec/models/push_event_payload_spec.rb
@@ -0,0 +1,16 @@
+require 'spec_helper'
+
+describe PushEventPayload do
+  describe 'saving payloads' do
+    it 'does not allow commit messages longer than 70 characters' do
+      event = create(:push_event)
+      payload = build(:push_event_payload, event: event)
+
+      expect(payload).to be_valid
+
+      payload.commit_title = 'a' * 100
+
+      expect(payload).not_to be_valid
+    end
+  end
+end
diff --git a/spec/models/push_event_spec.rb b/spec/models/push_event_spec.rb
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..532fb024261
--- /dev/null
+++ b/spec/models/push_event_spec.rb
@@ -0,0 +1,202 @@
+require 'spec_helper'
+
+describe PushEvent do
+  let(:payload) { PushEventPayload.new }
+
+  let(:event) do
+    event = described_class.new
+
+    allow(event).to receive(:push_event_payload).and_return(payload)
+
+    event
+  end
+
+  describe '.sti_name' do
+    it 'returns Event::PUSHED' do
+      expect(described_class.sti_name).to eq(Event::PUSHED)
+    end
+  end
+
+  describe '#push?' do
+    it 'returns true' do
+      expect(event).to be_push
+    end
+  end
+
+  describe '#push_with_commits?' do
+    it 'returns true when both the first and last commit are present' do
+      allow(event).to receive(:commit_from).and_return('123')
+      allow(event).to receive(:commit_to).and_return('456')
+
+      expect(event).to be_push_with_commits
+    end
+
+    it 'returns false when the first commit is missing' do
+      allow(event).to receive(:commit_to).and_return('456')
+
+      expect(event).not_to be_push_with_commits
+    end
+
+    it 'returns false when the last commit is missing' do
+      allow(event).to receive(:commit_from).and_return('123')
+
+      expect(event).not_to be_push_with_commits
+    end
+  end
+
+  describe '#tag?' do
+    it 'returns true when pushing to a tag' do
+      allow(payload).to receive(:tag?).and_return(true)
+
+      expect(event).to be_tag
+    end
+
+    it 'returns false when pushing to a branch' do
+      allow(payload).to receive(:tag?).and_return(false)
+
+      expect(event).not_to be_tag
+    end
+  end
+
+  describe '#branch?' do
+    it 'returns true when pushing to a branch' do
+      allow(payload).to receive(:branch?).and_return(true)
+
+      expect(event).to be_branch
+    end
+
+    it 'returns false when pushing to a tag' do
+      allow(payload).to receive(:branch?).and_return(false)
+
+      expect(event).not_to be_branch
+    end
+  end
+
+  describe '#valid_push?' do
+    it 'returns true if a ref exists' do
+      allow(payload).to receive(:ref).and_return('master')
+
+      expect(event).to be_valid_push
+    end
+
+    it 'returns false when no ref is present' do
+      expect(event).not_to be_valid_push
+    end
+  end
+
+  describe '#new_ref?' do
+    it 'returns true when pushing a new ref' do
+      allow(payload).to receive(:created?).and_return(true)
+
+      expect(event).to be_new_ref
+    end
+
+    it 'returns false when pushing to an existing ref' do
+      allow(payload).to receive(:created?).and_return(false)
+
+      expect(event).not_to be_new_ref
+    end
+  end
+
+  describe '#rm_ref?' do
+    it 'returns true when removing an existing ref' do
+      allow(payload).to receive(:removed?).and_return(true)
+
+      expect(event).to be_rm_ref
+    end
+
+    it 'returns false when pushing to an existing ref' do
+      allow(payload).to receive(:removed?).and_return(false)
+
+      expect(event).not_to be_rm_ref
+    end
+  end
+
+  describe '#commit_from' do
+    it 'returns the first commit SHA' do
+      allow(payload).to receive(:commit_from).and_return('123')
+
+      expect(event.commit_from).to eq('123')
+    end
+  end
+
+  describe '#commit_to' do
+    it 'returns the last commit SHA' do
+      allow(payload).to receive(:commit_to).and_return('123')
+
+      expect(event.commit_to).to eq('123')
+    end
+  end
+
+  describe '#ref_name' do
+    it 'returns the name of the ref' do
+      allow(payload).to receive(:ref).and_return('master')
+
+      expect(event.ref_name).to eq('master')
+    end
+  end
+
+  describe '#ref_type' do
+    it 'returns the type of the ref' do
+      allow(payload).to receive(:ref_type).and_return('branch')
+
+      expect(event.ref_type).to eq('branch')
+    end
+  end
+
+  describe '#branch_name' do
+    it 'returns the name of the branch' do
+      allow(payload).to receive(:ref).and_return('master')
+
+      expect(event.branch_name).to eq('master')
+    end
+  end
+
+  describe '#tag_name' do
+    it 'returns the name of the tag' do
+      allow(payload).to receive(:ref).and_return('1.2')
+
+      expect(event.tag_name).to eq('1.2')
+    end
+  end
+
+  describe '#commit_title' do
+    it 'returns the commit message' do
+      allow(payload).to receive(:commit_title).and_return('foo')
+
+      expect(event.commit_title).to eq('foo')
+    end
+  end
+
+  describe '#commit_id' do
+    it 'returns the SHA of the last commit if present' do
+      allow(event).to receive(:commit_to).and_return('123')
+
+      expect(event.commit_id).to eq('123')
+    end
+
+    it 'returns the SHA of the first commit if the last commit is not present' do
+      allow(event).to receive(:commit_to).and_return(nil)
+      allow(event).to receive(:commit_from).and_return('123')
+
+      expect(event.commit_id).to eq('123')
+    end
+  end
+
+  describe '#commits_count' do
+    it 'returns the number of commits' do
+      allow(payload).to receive(:commit_count).and_return(1)
+
+      expect(event.commits_count).to eq(1)
+    end
+  end
+
+  describe '#validate_push_action' do
+    it 'adds an error when the action is not PUSHED' do
+      event.action = Event::CREATED
+      event.validate_push_action
+
+      expect(event.errors.count).to eq(1)
+    end
+  end
+end
diff --git a/spec/models/user_spec.rb b/spec/models/user_spec.rb
index 6c8248eeb40..97bb91a6ac8 100644
--- a/spec/models/user_spec.rb
+++ b/spec/models/user_spec.rb
@@ -1291,7 +1291,7 @@ describe User do
     let!(:project2) { create(:project, forked_from_project: project3) }
     let!(:project3) { create(:project) }
     let!(:merge_request) { create(:merge_request, source_project: project2, target_project: project3, author: subject) }
-    let!(:push_event) { create(:event, :pushed, project: project1, target: project1, author: subject) }
+    let!(:push_event) { create(:push_event, project: project1, author: subject) }
     let!(:merge_event) { create(:event, :created, project: project3, target: merge_request, author: subject) }
 
     before do
@@ -1333,10 +1333,18 @@ describe User do
     subject { create(:user) }
     let!(:project1) { create(:project, :repository) }
     let!(:project2) { create(:project, :repository, forked_from_project: project1) }
-    let!(:push_data) do
-      Gitlab::DataBuilder::Push.build_sample(project2, subject)
+
+    let!(:push_event) do
+      event = create(:push_event, project: project2, author: subject)
+
+      create(:push_event_payload,
+             event: event,
+             commit_to: '1cf19a015df3523caf0a1f9d40c98a267d6a2fc2',
+             commit_count: 0,
+             ref: 'master')
+
+      event
     end
-    let!(:push_event) { create(:event, :pushed, project: project2, target: project1, author: subject, data: push_data) }
 
     before do
       project1.team << [subject, :master]
@@ -1363,8 +1371,13 @@ describe User do
       expect(subject.recent_push(project1)).to eq(nil)
       expect(subject.recent_push(project2)).to eq(push_event)
 
-      push_data1 = Gitlab::DataBuilder::Push.build_sample(project1, subject)
-      push_event1 = create(:event, :pushed, project: project1, target: project1, author: subject, data: push_data1)
+      push_event1 = create(:push_event, project: project1, author: subject)
+
+      create(:push_event_payload,
+             event: push_event1,
+             commit_to: '1cf19a015df3523caf0a1f9d40c98a267d6a2fc2',
+             commit_count: 0,
+             ref: 'master')
 
       expect(subject.recent_push([project1, project2])).to eq(push_event1) # Newest
     end
diff --git a/spec/requests/api/events_spec.rb b/spec/requests/api/events_spec.rb
index f1a26b6ce6c..a23d28994ce 100644
--- a/spec/requests/api/events_spec.rb
+++ b/spec/requests/api/events_spec.rb
@@ -59,6 +59,34 @@ describe API::Events do
         expect(json_response.size).to eq(1)
       end
 
+      context 'when the list of events includes push events' do
+        let(:event) do
+          create(:push_event, author: user, project: private_project)
+        end
+
+        let!(:payload) { create(:push_event_payload, event: event) }
+        let(:payload_hash) { json_response[0]['push_data'] }
+
+        before do
+          get api("/users/#{user.id}/events?action=pushed", user)
+        end
+
+        it 'responds with HTTP 200 OK' do
+          expect(response).to have_http_status(200)
+        end
+
+        it 'includes the push payload as a Hash' do
+          expect(payload_hash).to be_an_instance_of(Hash)
+        end
+
+        it 'includes the push payload details' do
+          expect(payload_hash['commit_count']).to eq(payload.commit_count)
+          expect(payload_hash['action']).to eq(payload.action)
+          expect(payload_hash['ref_type']).to eq(payload.ref_type)
+          expect(payload_hash['commit_to']).to eq(payload.commit_to)
+        end
+      end
+
       context 'when there are multiple events from different projects' do
         let(:second_note) { create(:note_on_issue, project: create(:project)) }
 
diff --git a/spec/requests/api/v3/users_spec.rb b/spec/requests/api/v3/users_spec.rb
index bc0a4ab20a3..227b8d1b0c1 100644
--- a/spec/requests/api/v3/users_spec.rb
+++ b/spec/requests/api/v3/users_spec.rb
@@ -252,6 +252,31 @@ describe API::V3::Users do
     end
 
     context "as a user than can see the event's project" do
+      context 'when the list of events includes push events' do
+        let(:event) { create(:push_event, author: user, project: project) }
+        let!(:payload) { create(:push_event_payload, event: event) }
+        let(:payload_hash) { json_response[0]['push_data'] }
+
+        before do
+          get api("/users/#{user.id}/events?action=pushed", user)
+        end
+
+        it 'responds with HTTP 200 OK' do
+          expect(response).to have_http_status(200)
+        end
+
+        it 'includes the push payload as a Hash' do
+          expect(payload_hash).to be_an_instance_of(Hash)
+        end
+
+        it 'includes the push payload details' do
+          expect(payload_hash['commit_count']).to eq(payload.commit_count)
+          expect(payload_hash['action']).to eq(payload.action)
+          expect(payload_hash['ref_type']).to eq(payload.ref_type)
+          expect(payload_hash['commit_to']).to eq(payload.commit_to)
+        end
+      end
+
       context 'joined event' do
         it 'returns the "joined" event' do
           get v3_api("/users/#{user.id}/events", user)
diff --git a/spec/services/event_create_service_spec.rb b/spec/services/event_create_service_spec.rb
index 42adb044190..02d7ddeb86b 100644
--- a/spec/services/event_create_service_spec.rb
+++ b/spec/services/event_create_service_spec.rb
@@ -117,12 +117,52 @@ describe EventCreateService do
     let(:project) { create(:project) }
     let(:user) { create(:user) }
 
+    let(:push_data) do
+      {
+        commits: [
+          {
+            id: '1cf19a015df3523caf0a1f9d40c98a267d6a2fc2',
+            message: 'This is a commit'
+          }
+        ],
+        before: '0000000000000000000000000000000000000000',
+        after: '1cf19a015df3523caf0a1f9d40c98a267d6a2fc2',
+        total_commits_count: 1,
+        ref: 'refs/heads/my-branch'
+      }
+    end
+
     it 'creates a new event' do
-      expect { service.push(project, user, {}) }.to change { Event.count }
+      expect { service.push(project, user, push_data) }.to change { Event.count }
+    end
+
+    it 'creates the push event payload' do
+      expect(PushEventPayloadService).to receive(:new)
+        .with(an_instance_of(PushEvent), push_data)
+        .and_call_original
+
+      service.push(project, user, push_data)
     end
 
     it 'updates user last activity' do
-      expect { service.push(project, user, {}) }.to change { user_activity(user) }
+      expect { service.push(project, user, push_data) }
+        .to change { user_activity(user) }
+    end
+
+    it 'does not create any event data when an error is raised' do
+      payload_service = double(:service)
+
+      allow(payload_service).to receive(:execute)
+        .and_raise(RuntimeError)
+
+      allow(PushEventPayloadService).to receive(:new)
+        .and_return(payload_service)
+
+      expect { service.push(project, user, push_data) }
+        .to raise_error(RuntimeError)
+
+      expect(Event.count).to eq(0)
+      expect(PushEventPayload.count).to eq(0)
     end
   end
 
diff --git a/spec/services/git_push_service_spec.rb b/spec/services/git_push_service_spec.rb
index a6449a3c9f5..8485605b398 100644
--- a/spec/services/git_push_service_spec.rb
+++ b/spec/services/git_push_service_spec.rb
@@ -141,10 +141,13 @@ describe GitPushService, services: true do
     let!(:push_data) { push_data_from_service(project, user, oldrev, newrev, ref) }
     let(:event) { Event.find_by_action(Event::PUSHED) }
 
-    it { expect(event).not_to be_nil }
+    it { expect(event).to be_an_instance_of(PushEvent) }
     it { expect(event.project).to eq(project) }
     it { expect(event.action).to eq(Event::PUSHED) }
-    it { expect(event.data).to eq(push_data) }
+    it { expect(event.push_event_payload).to be_an_instance_of(PushEventPayload) }
+    it { expect(event.push_event_payload.commit_from).to eq(oldrev) }
+    it { expect(event.push_event_payload.commit_to).to eq(newrev) }
+    it { expect(event.push_event_payload.ref).to eq('master') }
 
     context "Updates merge requests" do
       it "when pushing a new branch for the first time" do
diff --git a/spec/services/push_event_payload_service_spec.rb b/spec/services/push_event_payload_service_spec.rb
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..81956200bff
--- /dev/null
+++ b/spec/services/push_event_payload_service_spec.rb
@@ -0,0 +1,218 @@
+require 'spec_helper'
+
+describe PushEventPayloadService do
+  let(:event) { create(:push_event) }
+
+  describe '#execute' do
+    let(:push_data) do
+      {
+        commits: [
+          {
+            id: '1cf19a015df3523caf0a1f9d40c98a267d6a2fc2',
+            message: 'This is a commit'
+          }
+        ],
+        before: '0000000000000000000000000000000000000000',
+        after: '1cf19a015df3523caf0a1f9d40c98a267d6a2fc2',
+        total_commits_count: 1,
+        ref: 'refs/heads/my-branch'
+      }
+    end
+
+    it 'creates a new PushEventPayload row' do
+      payload = described_class.new(event, push_data).execute
+
+      expect(payload.commit_count).to eq(1)
+      expect(payload.action).to eq('created')
+      expect(payload.ref_type).to eq('branch')
+      expect(payload.commit_from).to be_nil
+      expect(payload.commit_to).to eq(push_data[:after])
+      expect(payload.ref).to eq('my-branch')
+      expect(payload.commit_title).to eq('This is a commit')
+      expect(payload.event_id).to eq(event.id)
+    end
+
+    it 'sets the push_event_payload association of the used event' do
+      payload = described_class.new(event, push_data).execute
+
+      expect(event.push_event_payload).to eq(payload)
+    end
+  end
+
+  describe '#commit_title' do
+    it 'returns nil if no commits were pushed' do
+      service = described_class.new(event, commits: [])
+
+      expect(service.commit_title).to be_nil
+    end
+
+    it 'returns a String limited to 70 characters' do
+      service = described_class.new(event, commits: [{ message: 'a' * 100 }])
+
+      expect(service.commit_title).to eq(('a' * 67) + '...')
+    end
+
+    it 'does not truncate the commit message if it is shorter than 70 characters' do
+      service = described_class.new(event, commits: [{ message: 'Hello' }])
+
+      expect(service.commit_title).to eq('Hello')
+    end
+
+    it 'includes the first line of a commit message if the message spans multiple lines' do
+      service = described_class
+        .new(event, commits: [{ message: "Hello\n\nworld" }])
+
+      expect(service.commit_title).to eq('Hello')
+    end
+  end
+
+  describe '#commit_from_id' do
+    it 'returns nil when creating a new ref' do
+      service = described_class.new(event, before: Gitlab::Git::BLANK_SHA)
+
+      expect(service.commit_from_id).to be_nil
+    end
+
+    it 'returns the ID of the first commit when pushing to an existing ref' do
+      service = described_class.new(event, before: '123')
+
+      expect(service.commit_from_id).to eq('123')
+    end
+  end
+
+  describe '#commit_to_id' do
+    it 'returns nil when removing an existing ref' do
+      service = described_class.new(event, after: Gitlab::Git::BLANK_SHA)
+
+      expect(service.commit_to_id).to be_nil
+    end
+  end
+
+  describe '#commit_count' do
+    it 'returns the number of commits' do
+      service = described_class.new(event, total_commits_count: 1)
+
+      expect(service.commit_count).to eq(1)
+    end
+
+    it 'raises when the push data does not contain the commits count' do
+      service = described_class.new(event, {})
+
+      expect { service.commit_count }.to raise_error(KeyError)
+    end
+  end
+
+  describe '#ref' do
+    it 'returns the name of the ref' do
+      service = described_class.new(event, ref: 'refs/heads/foo')
+
+      expect(service.ref).to eq('refs/heads/foo')
+    end
+
+    it 'raises when the push data does not contain the ref name' do
+      service = described_class.new(event, {})
+
+      expect { service.ref }.to raise_error(KeyError)
+    end
+  end
+
+  describe '#revision_before' do
+    it 'returns the revision from before the push' do
+      service = described_class.new(event, before: 'foo')
+
+      expect(service.revision_before).to eq('foo')
+    end
+
+    it 'raises when the push data does not contain the before revision' do
+      service = described_class.new(event, {})
+
+      expect { service.revision_before }.to raise_error(KeyError)
+    end
+  end
+
+  describe '#revision_after' do
+    it 'returns the revision from after the push' do
+      service = described_class.new(event, after: 'foo')
+
+      expect(service.revision_after).to eq('foo')
+    end
+
+    it 'raises when the push data does not contain the after revision' do
+      service = described_class.new(event, {})
+
+      expect { service.revision_after }.to raise_error(KeyError)
+    end
+  end
+
+  describe '#trimmed_ref' do
+    it 'returns the ref name without its prefix' do
+      service = described_class.new(event, ref: 'refs/heads/foo')
+
+      expect(service.trimmed_ref).to eq('foo')
+    end
+  end
+
+  describe '#create?' do
+    it 'returns true when creating a new ref' do
+      service = described_class.new(event, before: Gitlab::Git::BLANK_SHA)
+
+      expect(service.create?).to eq(true)
+    end
+
+    it 'returns false when pushing to an existing ref' do
+      service = described_class.new(event, before: 'foo')
+
+      expect(service.create?).to eq(false)
+    end
+  end
+
+  describe '#remove?' do
+    it 'returns true when removing an existing ref' do
+      service = described_class.new(event, after: Gitlab::Git::BLANK_SHA)
+
+      expect(service.remove?).to eq(true)
+    end
+
+    it 'returns false pushing to an existing ref' do
+      service = described_class.new(event, after: 'foo')
+
+      expect(service.remove?).to eq(false)
+    end
+  end
+
+  describe '#action' do
+    it 'returns :created when creating a ref' do
+      service = described_class.new(event, before: Gitlab::Git::BLANK_SHA)
+
+      expect(service.action).to eq(:created)
+    end
+
+    it 'returns :removed when removing an existing ref' do
+      service = described_class.new(event,
+                                    before: '123',
+                                    after: Gitlab::Git::BLANK_SHA)
+
+      expect(service.action).to eq(:removed)
+    end
+
+    it 'returns :pushed when pushing to an existing ref' do
+      service = described_class.new(event, before: '123', after: '456')
+
+      expect(service.action).to eq(:pushed)
+    end
+  end
+
+  describe '#ref_type' do
+    it 'returns :tag for a tag' do
+      service = described_class.new(event, ref: 'refs/tags/1.2')
+
+      expect(service.ref_type).to eq(:tag)
+    end
+
+    it 'returns :branch for a branch' do
+      service = described_class.new(event, ref: 'refs/heads/master')
+
+      expect(service.ref_type).to eq(:branch)
+    end
+  end
+end
diff --git a/spec/workers/prune_old_events_worker_spec.rb b/spec/workers/prune_old_events_worker_spec.rb
index 35e1518a35e..ea974355050 100644
--- a/spec/workers/prune_old_events_worker_spec.rb
+++ b/spec/workers/prune_old_events_worker_spec.rb
@@ -2,9 +2,11 @@ require 'spec_helper'
 
 describe PruneOldEventsWorker do
   describe '#perform' do
-    let!(:expired_event) { create(:event, author_id: 0, created_at: 13.months.ago) }
-    let!(:not_expired_event) { create(:event, author_id: 0,  created_at: 1.day.ago) }
-    let!(:exactly_12_months_event) { create(:event, author_id: 0, created_at: 12.months.ago) }
+    let(:user) { create(:user) }
+
+    let!(:expired_event) { create(:event, :closed, author: user, created_at: 13.months.ago) }
+    let!(:not_expired_event) { create(:event, :closed, author: user,  created_at: 1.day.ago) }
+    let!(:exactly_12_months_event) { create(:event, :closed, author: user, created_at: 12.months.ago) }
 
     it 'prunes events older than 12 months' do
       expect { subject.perform }.to change { Event.count }.by(-1)