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Upgrading PhixFlow

Upgrading PhixFlow

May 09, 2025

This page is for system administrators who are upgrading an existing PhixFlow instance from one release to another. This page explains the standard steps that you should always follow.

Some releases contain special instructions.

When planning an upgrade, please check the special instructions for each intermediate release and follow the additional steps as indicated.

Planning your Upgrade

Check Supported Versions and Special Instructions

Please read the System Requirements and Compatibility page. Check for any special upgrade instructions between your current and target versions of PhixFlow.

Ensure that your versions of:

  • the database

  • Tomcat

  • Java

are supported in the planned upgrade.

Sections on this page



If any of these items need updating, please contact your IT team several weeks in advance of the planned upgrade.

Check Java and Database Connectors

If Java needs upgrading, you must verify that any JDBC connectors you have installed to non-standard databases are still supported. The standard databases supported by PhixFlow are Oracle, MS SQL Server and MySQL/ MySQL. The drivers needed to connect to these databases are shipped with PhixFlow, and connections to external databases through PhixFlow data sources are supported by these drivers; see Datasource.

However, if you have connections to external databases other than these - for example, Netezza, Teradata, DB2 - then you will have installed JDBC drivers for these in the folder [tomcat home]/lib. You must check that your current version of each installed driver is compatible with the new version of Java, and if not, obtain a new version of the JDBC driver from the supplier.

How to Upgrade

Step 1  Backup your Database

Ensure that you have a recent, full backup of your PhixFlow database. If you need to rollback (see "Rollback Upgrade" below), your PhixFlow configuration and data will revert to this point.

We also recommend that you:

  • Review your installation for any remaining uses of the discontinued features mentioned in the release notes. All data related to the use of these features will be removed when PhixFlow is migrated to the new version.

  • Backup all tables except those whose names begin with a 'zz'. This backs up the data tables that do not contain table data.

Step 2  Review Special Upgrade Instructions

Review the Special Upgrade Instructions for all the intermediate releases between your current version and the version to which you are upgrading. make a note of any that will need to be performed during the upgrade.

Step 3  Upgrade the Environment

If necessary, upgrade to supported versions of Java, Tomcat and your database: Oracle, SQL Server or MySQL / MySQL. See Planning your Upgrade, above.

Remember, if you are Upgrading Tomcat, to restore any JDBC drivers needed for any data sources that use database technologies or versions not supported for PhixFlow's own connections. Make sure that any additional JDBC drivers you use are placed in:

[tomcat home]/lib

See also:

Step 4  Unzip the PhixFlow Release

Unzip the PhixFlow release package into a temporary directory.

We will refer to the new PhixFlow release directory as $RELEASE and its corresponding Tomcat directory as $TOMCAT.

Step 5  Install the New Webapp into Tomcat

Move the live PhixFlow installation directory, $TOMCAT/webapps/phixflow, to an archive location.

For example, on Linux: mv $TOMCAT/webapps/phixflow $ARCHIVE/phixflow-<current date>

Copy $RELEASE/webapp/phixflow to $TOMCAT/webapps.

For example, on Linux: cp -r $RELEASE/webapp/phixflow $TOMCAT/webapps/phixflow

From PhixFlow version 11.0.1, the database schema updates are recorded in the System Console → Audit Summary Tab, with the Action Description starting with “Executing db\upgrade”.



Step 6 Configure the Webapp

The webapp configuration step depends on which version you are upgrading from and to. Please follow the appropriate section below



Upgrading an existing Version 11 or latest system

Automated upgrading of the database schema is now supported. 

In the archive of the live installation, go to the  $TOMCAT/webapps/phixflow/WEB-INF/classes/ directory. Copy the following files into the corresponding directory in the new PhixFlow webapp if they exist: 

  • phixflow.properties (if it exists)

  • local.properties

  • logback.phixflow.xml

Review the Special Upgrade Instructions if there are any recommendations for additional settings. 

Company Logo

If you have configured PhixFlow to show your company logo, also copy $ARCHIVE/phixflow-<current date>/gui/images/customerLogo.svg from the archive to the corresponding directory in the new PhixFlow webapp.

Soft Links

If you have configured soft links (also called symlinks or datalinks) between PhixFlow and Tomcat, recreate them. Example scripts are provided below, these examples assume your application is called phixflow. For more details see Configuring Soft Links.

Windows

mklink /D C:\app\tomcat\webapps\phixflow\datalink C:\app\phixflow\data\phixflow\datalink

Linux

sudo ln -sf /opt/phixflow/data/phixflow/datalink /opt/tomcat/webapps/phixflow/datalink

Upgrading to version 11 or later from pre version 11

Direct upgrading from version 8.3.18 onwards to version 11.0.1 or later is supported with automatic database schema upgrade. (8.3.24 for 11.0.0).

This process requires migrating the configuration settings from the modified xml settings into the local.properties file. It is assumed a keystore was previously configured.

Review the files in the archive at the following location $ARCHIVE/phixflow-<current date>/WEB-INF/classes/

Property

Previous File

Previous location

Notes

Property

Previous File

Previous location

Notes

db.url

phixflow-datasource.xml

<property name="url">

    <value>CONNECTION-STRING</value>

</property>



db.usernameKey

phixflow-datasource.xml

<property name="usernameKey">

    <value>ALIAS-USERNAME</value>

</property>



db.passwordKey

phixflow-datasource.xml

<property name="passwordKey">

    <value>ALIAS-PASSWORD</value>

</property>



logging.file.phixflow.base

logback.xml

<appender name="FILE" class="ch.qos.logback.core.rolling.RollingFileAppender">

    <file>logs/${logging.file.phixflow.base}.log</file>

Just the base filename (phixflow_webappName) should be populated

keystore.type

phixflow-secret.xml

<property name="keystoreType">
     <value>${keystore.type}</value>
</property>



keystore.file

phixflow-secret.xml

<property name="keystoreFile">
     <value>${keystore.file}</value>
</property>



keystore.passwordKey

phixflow-secret.xml

<property name="keystorePassEnvironmentVariable">
      <value>${keystore.passwordKey}</value>
</property>

If an environment variable was used to store the keystore password

phixflow-keystore-password

phixflow-secret.xml

<property name="keystorePass">
      <value>${phixflow-keystore-password}</value>
</property>

If the password was stored in the config file.

If Active Directory was previously used the following configuration settings may need to be configured. Refer to phixflow-secret.xml for existing values.

If SAML was previously used the following configuration settings may need to be configured. Refer to phixflow-secret.xml for existing values.



Company Logo

If you have configured PhixFlow to show your company logo, also copy $ARCHIVE/phixflow-<current date>/gui/images/customerLogo.svg from the archive to the corresponding directory in the new PhixFlow webapp.

Soft Links

If you have configured soft links (also called symlinks or datalinks) between PhixFlow and Tomcat, recreate them. Example scripts are provided below, these examples assume your application is called phixflow. For more details see Configuring Soft Links.

Windows

mklink /D C:\app\tomcat\webapps\phixflow\datalink C:\app\phixflow\data\phixflow\datalink

Linux

sudo ln -sf /opt/phixflow/data/phixflow/datalink /opt/tomcat/webapps/phixflow/datalink

Upgrading to a version 10 release

In the archive of the live installation, go to the  $TOMCAT/webapps/phixflow/WEB-INF/classes/ directory. Copy the following files into the corresponding directory in the new PhixFlow webapp: 

  • logback.xml

  • phixflow-datasource.xml

  • phixflow-logging.xml

  • phixflow-login.xml

  • phixflow-secret.xml

For example, on Linux: cp $ARCHIVE/phixflow-<current date>/WEB-INF/classes/phixflow-datasource.xml $TOMCAT/webapps/phixflow/WEB-INF/classes

Company Logo

If you have configured PhixFlow to show your company logo, also copy $ARCHIVE/phixflow-<current date>/gui/images/customerLogo.svg from the archive to the corresponding directory in the new PhixFlow webapp.

Soft Links

If you have configured soft links (also called symlinks or datalinks) between PhixFlow and Tomcat, recreate them. Example scripts are provided below, these examples assume your application is called phixflow. For more details see Configuring Soft Links.

Windows

mklink /D C:\app\tomcat\webapps\phixflow\datalink C:\app\phixflow\data\phixflow\datalink

Linux

sudo ln -sf /opt/phixflow/data/phixflow/datalink /opt/tomcat/webapps/phixflow/datalink

Configure a Keystore

If you have not already done so, Configure a Keystore and Aliases. Use phixflow-secret.xml to specify the keystore details.

 Upgrade the Database

Run all migration scripts in sequence from the starting version to this version.



About Migration Warnings

Some of the scripts can generate warning messages, such as Caution: Changing any part of an object name could break scripts and stored procedures. Generally, warning messages do not indicate a problem. However, if you see any error messages, please contact your PhixFlow support team.

Example for migrating Oracle

cd $RELEASE/install/schema/oracle/migration/X.Y sqlplus myUsername/myPassword @migrate_schema_from_x_y_z_to_X_Y_Z.sql

Example for migrating SQL Server

cd $RELEASE/install/schema/sqlserver/migration/X.Y sqlcmd -S myServer\myInstance -U myUsername -P myPassword -d myDatabase -i migrate_schema_from_x_y_z_to_X_Y_Z.sql

Example for migrating MySQL

E.g. for MySQL users
cd $RELEASE/install/schema/my_sql/migration/X.Y mysql -h myServer -u myUsername -p -D myDatabase source migrate_schema_from_x_y_z_to_X_Y_Z.sql



MySQL Privileges

Some MySQL PhixFlow migration scripts create or use privileged functions and/or procedures. If you have followed PhixFlow's recommended installation, running non-deterministic functions will be permanently allowed by a setting (global log_bin_trust_function_creators) in my.cnf (see Install MySQL).

If you have not permanently set this in my.cnf, you will need to turn this on in the session you are using to perform the upgrade with the command:

set global log_bin_trust_function_creators = 1;

Alternatively, ensure that that the database user performing the upgrade has SUPER privilege.

Step 7  Re-start Tomcat

Restart the Tomcat service and verify you can login successfully.

Step 8  Special Upgrade Instructions

Review all special upgrade instructions have been implemented.