diff --git a/sql/upgrades/032.sql b/sql/upgrades/032.sql
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..3804909d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/sql/upgrades/032.sql
@@ -0,0 +1,121 @@
+-- SWH DB schema upgrade
+-- from_version: 30
+-- to_version: 32
+-- description: Reading data improvment on directory and release data.
+
+insert into dbversion(version, release, description)
+      values(32, now(), 'Work In Progress');
+
+CREATE FUNCTION swh_mktemp_release_get()
+    returns void
+    language sql
+as $$
+    create temporary table tmp_release_get(
+      id sha1_git primary key
+    ) on commit drop;
+$$;
+
+-- Detailed entry for a release
+CREATE TYPE release_entry AS
+(
+  id          sha1_git,
+  revision    sha1_git,
+  date        timestamptz,
+  date_offset smallint,
+  name        text,
+  comment     bytea,
+  synthetic   boolean,
+  author_name bytea,
+  author_email bytea
+);
+
+-- Detailed entry for release
+CREATE OR REPLACE FUNCTION swh_release_get()
+    returns setof release_entry
+    language plpgsql
+as $$
+begin
+    return query
+        select r.id, r.revision, r.date, r.date_offset, r.name, r.comment,
+               r.synthetic, p.name as author_name, p.email as author_email
+        from tmp_release_get t
+        inner join release r on t.id = r.id
+        inner join person p on p.id = r.author;
+    return;
+end
+$$;
+
+DROP TYPE IF EXISTS directory_entry CASCADE;
+
+-- a directory listing entry with all the metadata
+--
+-- can be used to list a directory, and retrieve all the data in one go.
+CREATE TYPE directory_entry AS
+(
+  dir_id   sha1_git,     -- id of the parent directory
+  type     directory_entry_type,  -- type of entry
+  target   sha1_git,     -- id of target
+  name     unix_path,    -- path name, relative to containing dir
+  perms    file_perms,   -- unix-like permissions
+  status   content_status,  -- visible or absent
+  sha1     sha1,            -- content if sha1 if type is not dir
+  sha1_git sha1_git,        -- content's sha1 git if type is not dir
+  sha256   sha256           -- content's sha256 if type is not dir
+);
+
+-- List a single level of directory walked_dir_id
+-- FIXME: order by name is not correct. For git, we need to order by
+-- lexicographic order but as if a trailing / is present in directory
+-- name
+create or replace function swh_directory_walk_one(walked_dir_id sha1_git)
+    returns setof directory_entry
+    language sql
+    stable
+as $$
+    with dir as (
+	select id as dir_id, dir_entries, file_entries, rev_entries
+	from directory
+	where id = walked_dir_id),
+    ls_d as (select dir_id, unnest(dir_entries) as entry_id from dir),
+    ls_f as (select dir_id, unnest(file_entries) as entry_id from dir),
+    ls_r as (select dir_id, unnest(rev_entries) as entry_id from dir)
+    (select dir_id, 'dir'::directory_entry_type as type,
+            e.target, e.name, e.perms, NULL::content_status,
+            NULL::sha1, NULL::sha1_git, NULL::sha256
+     from ls_d
+     left join directory_entry_dir e on ls_d.entry_id = e.id)
+    union
+    (select dir_id, 'file'::directory_entry_type as type,
+            e.target, e.name, e.perms, c.status,
+            c.sha1, c.sha1_git, c.sha256
+     from ls_f
+     left join directory_entry_file e on ls_f.entry_id = e.id
+     left join content c on e.target = c.sha1_git)
+    union
+    (select dir_id, 'rev'::directory_entry_type as type,
+            e.target, e.name, e.perms, NULL::content_status,
+            NULL::sha1, NULL::sha1_git, NULL::sha256
+     from ls_r
+     left join directory_entry_rev e on ls_r.entry_id = e.id)
+    order by name;
+$$;
+
+-- List recursively the content of a directory
+create or replace function swh_directory_walk(walked_dir_id sha1_git)
+    returns setof directory_entry
+    language sql
+    stable
+as $$
+    with recursive entries as (
+        select dir_id, type, target, name, perms, status, sha1, sha1_git,
+               sha256
+        from swh_directory_walk_one(walked_dir_id)
+        union all
+        select dir_id, type, target, (dirname || '/' || name)::unix_path as name,
+               perms, status, sha1, sha1_git, sha256
+        from (select (swh_directory_walk_one(dirs.target)).*, dirs.name as dirname
+              from (select target, name from entries where type = 'dir') as dirs) as with_parent
+    )
+    select dir_id, type, target, name, perms, status, sha1, sha1_git, sha256
+    from entries
+$$;