Database Upgrade - 1.3.x Compatibility ?

[royaldave]

Hi

If I upgraded my database to 1.5.1 but later decided to put the 1.3.9 files back into place, is the 1.5.1 upgraded database fully compatible with a 1.3.9 version of my website?

[DivaVocals]

Hi

If I upgraded my database to 1.5.1 but later decided to put the 1.3.9 files back into place, is the 1.5.1 upgraded database fully compatible with a 1.3.9 version of my website?

Sounds like you are attempting to shortcut the upgrade process, this is NOT a good plan.. Short answer to your question is NO..

Just upgrade the site.. the WHOLE thing..

[royaldave]

Sounds like you are attempting to shortcut the upgrade process, this is NOT a good plan.. Short answer to your question is NO..

Just upgrade the site.. the WHOLE thing..

Not looking for shortcuts. I have upgraded (and tested) the code and am ready (I think) to go live with it.

I ask the question because if I suddenly find an issue with my upgraded code could I simply put the 1.3.9 files back in place (without touching the DB) or would I need to persevere with 1.5.1 ?

[Ajeh]

I have to say that is an interesting question ... I have tried to break Zen Cart a lot of different ways in the past, but that isn't one of my usual tests ... trying to run a v1.5.1 database with v1.3.9h code or the v1.3.9 database with v1.5.1 code as usually, and old database with new code is a pretty safe bet that things will break as new code cannot find new database fields that it needs to run ...

Old code with new database "might" run depending on what the new database has in it and what the old code is doing to access the database tables and fields ...

While yes, I could probably build that environment to test it for you ... it would not be fun and probably not be 100% accurate as your code probably has add-ons and customization in addition to the updated fields that are in v1.5.1 vs the older v1.3.9h database and any number of them could really make a real mess ...

I would hope in the processes of upgrading that you saved a copy of your v1.3.9h site as well as a copy of your database or that you are doing your development in a new database in an upgrade directory and testing before you try to go live so it is easy to go back to v1.3.9h without a problem ...

We strongly recommend you always upgrade in a copy of your live site in a development directory and test everything in addition to the final processes of:

1 Make a development directory

2 Build from the v1.5.1 download of Zen Cart a merged/updated copy to your working directory

3 Copy your v1.3.9h database to another database for your v1.5.1 development site

4 Run the zc_install and do an Upgrade on your database, one checkbox at a time

5 Save all module information to NotePad for Payment, Shipping and Order Totals and do a REMOVE, INSTALL and re-configure (remember, all settings are LOST when you do the REMOVE so make sure you have them saved to NotePad in case you need to refer to them to re-configure)

6 Test and retest everything from creating customer accounts to making orders to testing all Payment, Shipping and Order Total modules, etc. etc. etc. ... then the Admin to Create Categories, Products, etc. etc. etc.

Then when happy with the results ... try one more time or two or three to load a copy of your Live v1.3.9h database to your new v1.5.1 database and do the zc_install and Upgrade, again once checkbox at a time ...

Make sure all is working ... see #6 ...

Now if you have done this twice, successfully, you are probably ready to take your LIVE site Down for maintenance ... and once you have it Down for maintenance, again copy your LIVE v1.3.9h database to your v1.5.1 database and do the zc_install Upgrade, again one checkbox at a time ...

Test everything ...

If all is still good ... move all directories for v1.3.9h code to and /OLD_v139h directory and then move all the Development site directories to your LIVE directory (or /public_html if that is where your LIVE site is) ... and fix your two configure.php files as needed for your paths, database and password ...

Test everything well ...

If all is still good, you can take your new LIVE v1.5.1 off of Down for Maintenance and all is right in the world for your new LIVE site ...

If things go wrong or are not working, worse case, take your new LIVE v1.5.1 Down for Maintenance (which it actually should still be set to if you while testing if you were ready to flip the switch to ON) and move all the files back to your development directory and move your old files back to your LIVE site and switch the database from your v1.5.1 in the configure.php files to your v1.3.9h database ... and then in your development configure.php files make sure they are pointing to your v1.5.1 database and not your v1.3.9h database ...

And if you read all of this very very slowly a few times it will actually start to slowly make sense to you ...

There are many FAQs and the WIKI and other threads about UGRADING a site that should walk you through all of this in more detail and hopefully a bit more verbose rather than in brief like this summary is ...

Hopefully this can help you in this upgrade processes ... because I have to tell you ... I would not want to be you if you try to run a site with a v1.5.1 database and v1.3.9h database or v1.3.9h code with v1.5.1 database ... as I am pretty sure, that other than sad ... that you will be doomed ...

[royaldave]

Well I have upgraded and all is good.

I asked the question because I really don't know what happens to the database when going from 1.3.9 to 1.5.1. If it is simply adding a few fields then I would guess the 1.3.9 code would work with it. But not important now.

[Ajeh]

Glad to hear all is working well for you and that you completed the upgrade ... thanks for the update ...