get_or_create.py

def get_or_create(session, model, **kwargs):
    '''
    Creates an object or returns the object if exists
    credit to Kevin @ StackOverflow
    from: http://stackoverflow.com/questions/2546207/does-sqlalchemy-have-an-equivalent-of-djangos-get-or-create
    '''
    instance = session.query(model).filter_by(**kwargs).first()
    if instance:
        return instance
    else:
        instance = model(**kwargs)
        session.add(instance)
        return instance

# Usage:
# Suppose my model object is :
class Country(Base):
    __tablename__ = 'countries'
    id = Column(Integer, primary_key=True)
    name = Column(String, unique=True)

# To get or create my object I write :
myCountry = get_or_create(session, Country, name=countryName)