Upgrade to DBI v9 - best practices?

#1

Now that version 9 is released, what’s the best way to “try out” the upgraded version while keeping a safe-haven dev and prod instance going on the existing version 8?

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#2

What I usually do is copy both the application and warehouse databases and then create a new instance for the new version using those. The new version uses a different port and we change the sidebar colour to ensure we know which one we’re in.
Once we’ve tested our projects, we either just keep what’s copied there to be the live or export/import as usual.

I recommend having a read through the full release notes to see if anything jumps out at you as having an impact on your current projects and development methodology.

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#3

Thanks so much, David. That’s really helpful. I do see some things in there that are helpful, and I believe one of the fixes is specifically in response to one of my issues. So, I’d like to get the upgrade done in the next few weeks. I’m also about to deploy my dashboards to my users this/next week, so probably better to upgrade soon in case any noticeable changes come about.

So are you saying that you make a whole new dev instance to test on? And then once it’s working, you upgrade the prod instance permanently?

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#4

Hi Ken

That’s what we do because we want to be able to keep the current version for ongoing dev and prod projects, whilst testing the new version in the background in our spare time.

Maybe it’s a holdover from our experience with previous updates which were a lot more substantial in terms of changes.

In your case it probably makes sense to upgrade your existing version as you’ve not yet deployed, and also can probably tell from the release notes if any of your existing setups will be affected.

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#5

We do the same upgrade steps that David G does without changing the color of the navigation panel for versions.

There’s a little oversight in David’s process: you will either test with a test license or have a Development license for that “copy” you’re upgrading. And there’s some work to do with notifications when you are upgrading a Production instance (need to turn those off via the Scheduling service).

Having a complete clone of what works in Production works best for me. Indeed, start with the review of the release notes. I then audit security, any custom attributes, dashboard performance, displayed totals, export behavior, and customizations, take the data cube/metric set/ dashboards on a test drive to see how things are different and improved.

While the upgrades are generally painless and fast, making sure you recognize your instance takes a commitment.

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