Automatic Upgrade

Upgrading Flow automatically is as easy a re-running the latest software installer. You do not need to uninstall previous versions of Flow before running the new software installer.

You should follow the below steps when performing the upgrade. This will ensure a successful upgrade, or in the event of problems, the ability to rollback to the previous version.

TIP

Perform the upgrade on a test computer to familiarise yourself with the process before attempting on your production computer.

WARNING

You should also backup your host systems in case something goes wrong with the integration after the upgrade.

If you have previously manually relocated any components of Flow you will need to update those manually. After the upgrade the latest version will be present in the Program Folder - simply repeat the steps you performed earlier when originally relocating the component.

1. Download the latest software installer from the website (the Flow downloads page is no longer available)

2. Plan the upgrade and notify any relevant parties that the upgrade is going to occur

   1. Familiarise yourself with the Change Log and any steps it asks you to perform
   2. Plan the upgrade for a time that is going to cause the least interference
   3. Let staff know the system is going to be down
   4. Let trading partners know that the system is going to be down and they should try to avoid sending you data in that time

3. Backup your entire Flow system. Refer Backing up Flow

4. Record the time you begin the upgrade. If at a later date you discover issues you can determine whether they arose prior to the upgrade or because of it

5. Stop all Flow applications from running. Check in task manager to ensure they are stopped for all users (ie Individual copies of FlowMonitor can run for each user logged into the computer)

6. Download and run the latest Flow install program. Refer Installation

7. Start Flow console and see if configuration database needs upgrading. Refer Upgrading a configuration database

8. Start Flow console and check your configuration. The upgrade notice may indicate changes that are required to be made to your configuration.

9. Execute all your Actions and check they are successful.

   1. Check that data integrated with your host system is still accurate. Thorough testing will promptly identify problems preventing you from losing other work entered into the host system after the upgrade.
   2. Check the data sent to your trading partners is still accurate

If problems arise due to the upgrade you can roll back to your backup. Refer to Rolling back an upgrade