topic Re: Upgrade to May 2025 failed in Management & Governance

Upgrade to May 2025 failed

Lauri — Sun, 06 Jul 2025 16:12:59 GMT

I just tried upgrading to May 2025 from Feb 2024 and it failed. This happened when I tried to upgrade from Feb 2024 to May 2024 a year ago. I updated to Postgres 12.5 over a year ago using the Qlik updater software. Here's a screenshot of today's log files from the upgrade attempt.

It's concerning that there's a log for Postgres 125 AND for 14... and then there's a rollback log for 14.

Any suggestions?

Re: Upgrade to May 2025 failed

Lauri — Sun, 06 Jul 2025 16:17:14 GMT

Also, the Qlik rollback failed, so Qlik is completely corrupted. I'm rolling back the entire server OS. This happened to me a year ago too.

Re: Upgrade to May 2025 failed

Lauri — Wed, 09 Jul 2025 12:38:25 GMT

I see this in Qlik Help: "The Qlik Sense installer cannot use SSL encryption for establishing a connection to PostgreSQL. When SSL encryption is enabled, the installer does not recognize any already installed PostgreSQL databases, as a result, the installation cannot be completed. You should temporarily disable SSL during installation or upgrade."

Can anyone advise me on how to temporarily disable SSL?

Re: Upgrade to May 2025 failed

Lauri — Wed, 09 Jul 2025 21:28:07 GMT

Update: According to this KB article, systems in which Postgres was upgraded with QPI, and systems with standalone Postgres, the Qlik update software must be run with the database service running. Qlik's Help web page doesn't mention this. My next step is to try again with this change to my process.

Re: Upgrade to May 2025 failed

1000qlik — Thu, 24 Jul 2025 21:08:20 GMT

Hi Lauri,

Did you manage to solve your issue?

Re: Upgrade to May 2025 failed

Lech_Miszkiewicz — Fri, 25 Jul 2025 00:03:08 GMT

Hi @1000qlik

There are very clear instructions on what needs to happen when you upgrade postgres using external postgres installer and how it will impact future upgrades if those are not done according to required steps.

https://community.qlik.com/t5/Official-Support-Articles/Upgrading-and-unbundling-the-Qlik-Sense-Repository-Database/ta-p/1934238

EVERY step on that document IS IMPORTANT! and if missed it results in future upgrade failures.

cheers

Re: Upgrade to May 2025 failed

Lauri — Fri, 25 Jul 2025 13:10:29 GMT

@1000qlik - I haven't yet tried again. If it fails again, even with the db running, I think the solution is to do a clean install (of the version of Sense I'm currently on) and restore from backup. And then I'll try to upgrade.

Re: Upgrade to May 2025 failed

Lauri — Wed, 20 Aug 2025 16:07:19 GMT

Update on my attempts: I stopped all Qlik services except for Repository Database service, then ran the update for May 2025. It failed while upgrading the Service Dispatcher with this error in the log:

CAQuietExec: + throw "Error executing database comman ...
CAQuietExec: + ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
CAQuietExec: + CategoryInfo : OperationStopped: (:) , Exception
CAQuietExec: + FullyQualifiedErrorId : Error executing database command "CREATE SCHEMA qlik_notifier_service AUTHORIZATION "qli
CAQuietExec: ksenserepository"": ERROR: permission denied for database SenseServices

I restored the server to the previous backup. I opened PGadmin and granted permissions (I ran the SQL command in this post). The update failed again at the Service Dispatcher with this error:

CAQuietExec: Error executing database command "CREATE SCHEMA "dataprep_service" AUTHORIZATION "qliksenserepository"": ERROR:
CAQuietExec: schema "dataprep_service" already exists

I now wonder if the problem is due to Qlik thinking that we have both postgres 12.5 and postgres 14 installed, if that's possible. There are log files for both versions, in the logs from the update attempt. I upgraded postgres from 9.6 to 12.5 with QPI over a year ago and then later to 14 as part of a Sense update. The server has only the v14 folder (C:\Program Files\Qlik\Sense\Repository\PostgreSQL\14). Yet the "PostgreSQL125.log" contains this towards the end:

MSI (s) (F8:40) [11:44:59:955]: Product: PostgreSQL125 -- Installation completed successfully.

And same for "PostgreSQL14.log:"

MSI (s) (F8:74) [11:47:40:354]: Product: PostgreSQL14 -- Installation completed successfully.

Any ideas? Many thanks.

Re: Upgrade to May 2025 failed

Lech_Miszkiewicz — Wed, 20 Aug 2025 22:53:31 GMT

HI @Lauri - Absolutely - you probably missed below step when you upgraded in the past:

I keep repeating that you must make sure that all steps were taken care of when your postgres DB was updated. If in the past you missed a step (like removing old services etc) that will cause issues as per link I have provided month ago (below).

Once you restore your server first make sure you check this 16th point and in fact check all other points as well. There are some points where there are certain paths you should have updated if you upgraded your postgres in the past. Missing those steps was usually issue in my case in the past.

cheers and good luck

Re: Upgrade to May 2025 failed

howdash — Thu, 21 Aug 2025 01:17:20 GMT

I wrote an article on this topic a while ago. It demos the issues I've been having after using the QPI tool and how to avoid them. Here's the link to the article:

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/how-crash-your-qlik-sense-server-during-upgrade-qpi-patches-u9dke

The short version is that the QPI tool is...I don't know...let's say inflexible, for the lack of better word. QPI Tool:

Can only be ran on an Initial Release version of Qlik Sense.
The original Qlik Sense Repository Database service must be uninstalled after QPI tool is ran.
PostgreSQL binaries must be reinstalled.

These three points are non-negotiable steps that must be completed. If any of them are skipped, like @Lech_Miszkiewicz mentioned, you will have issues down the road when upgrading Qlik Sense.

I'm thinking of creating a more detailed guide with screenshots showing how to use the QPI tool to upgrade bundled PostgreSQL server. If you'd like me to create a guide, give me a like or just reply and let me know that you'd like to see one and I'll get it created.

Re: Upgrade to May 2025 failed

Lech_Miszkiewicz — Thu, 21 Aug 2025 01:52:40 GMT

Hi @howdash - I agree with you, however there is no point spending time and writing the same thing again and again as Qlik support article already points out all the things you mentioned. Once you write such article you would have to maintain it or it will only be valid for particular verrsion only which in the future will create more confusion than good I think.

at the end it is your choice but I would not waste my time on it if I were you.

cheers

Re: Upgrade to May 2025 failed

Lauri — Thu, 21 Aug 2025 13:34:50 GMT

Thanks very much, @howdash and @Lech_Miszkiewicz . That's a really nice analysis you did, Mikhail. Lech, I clearly remember doing the 12.5 msi removal, but that was a year ago, so who knows what actually happened. (We all have heard how unreliable eye witnesses are about crimes after 72 hours...)

As I reread the QPI instructions today, I see that postgres14 should have been installed at C:\Program Files\PostgreSQL\14 but mine is in C:\Program Files\Qlik\Sense\Repository\PostgreSQL\14.

The question now is, do I have an option to correct the Postgres installation?

Re: Upgrade to May 2025 failed

howdash — Thu, 21 Aug 2025 15:23:23 GMT

Thanks 😊 I saw a whole lot of people struggling to use the QPI tool so I figured it'd be worth to run some tests and share results to find out exactly how to use the tool before running it on my servers.

Regarding Postgres install directory, the directory you mentioned, this one:

C:\Program Files\Qlik\Sense\Repository\PostgreSQL\14

That's the default, bundled PostgreSQL installation directory. That directory is automatically deleted when Qlik Sense Repository Database (QSRD) service is uninstalled. The fact that you still have that directory present implies that you might still have the QSRD service installed.

Full disclosure, I haven't tested a scenario of upgrading Qlik Sense after running the QPI tool and not uninstalling the QSRD service.

Hypothetically, confirming that you have the new version of PostgreSQL being operated by a service named postgres-x64-14, like this:

Then confirming that you still also have the original Qlik Sense Repository Database service present, like this:

If that's the case, then uninstalling the old QSRD service should fix the issue and allow you to successfully upgrade Qlik Sense.

And, for reference, once the QPI tool is ran and the old QSRD service is uninstalled, you should see the postgresql-x64-14 service plus this set of Qlik Sense services:

But, again, I only dealt with scenarios where QSRD is uninstalled right after the QPI tool is ran, so I'm not sure what's going to happen if the QSRD service is uninstalled after a year of QPI tool upgrading PostgreSQL. I think it makes sense that uninstalling QSRD and reinstalling PostgreSQL binaries will fix the issue and lead to a successful upgrade process, but that's just my best guess.

And step 16 of the Upgrading and unbundling the Qlik Sense Repository Database using the Qlik PostgreSQL Installer documentation shows how to get the QSRD uninstalled after running the QPI tool and installing the new PostgreSQL server and the new postgresql-x64-14 service.

Re: Upgrade to May 2025 failed

Lauri — Thu, 21 Aug 2025 15:44:58 GMT

Thanks, @howdash . That all makes sense, but I agree with you -- it's a lot of assumptions and maybes! And to add to the mystery, I don't have postgres-x64-14 running as a service even though I clearly remember having it and removing the Qlik native service. I now believe that when I subsequently upgraded Qlik to Feb 2024, I did something wrong that replaced the standalone postgres with the Qlik native one. (I'm impressed that it worked out; our QS has been working fine since then.)

I don't want to waste more time trying to upgrade. We'll evaluate moving to the Cloud this winter. Hopefully the migration path is clean, given our weird setup.

Re: Upgrade to May 2025 failed

howdash — Thu, 21 Aug 2025 16:31:39 GMT

On the off chance that you will need to go through the process of upgrading bundled PostgreSQL server using the QPI tool, I decided to put together a guide for it.

It's a much more visual version of the one that Qlik Support put together with tips and explanations answering some questions that I had when I was using the tool to upgrade and unbundle PostgreSQL on my servers.

Here's the link to the article:

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/upgrade-bundled-postgresql-using-qpi-tool-howdashllc-ubewe

To Lech's point, I'll do my best to keep it up to date and in sync with official Qlik article. Hope it helps!

Re: Upgrade to May 2025 failed

Lauri — Thu, 21 Aug 2025 16:49:09 GMT

Nice article! Note that at the top you say there are 4 parts but then you list only 3.

One situation you might address: In part 3, step 9, what do I do if the folder has not been removed?

Re: Upgrade to May 2025 failed

howdash — Thu, 21 Aug 2025 17:58:38 GMT

Good catch and thanks! I've updated the article.

Regarding the C:\Program Files\Qlik\Sense\Repository\PostgreSQL folder, that is a great question. I just spun up a new server. I'll get Qlik Sense installed and run the QPI tool on it. I'll see if I can recreate the issue and I'll share what I'll find.

Re: Upgrade to May 2025 failed

Lauri — Thu, 21 Aug 2025 19:06:14 GMT

You do have 4 parts -- part 2 is "Review and Confirm Successful Upgrade and Unbundling." 🙂

Re: Upgrade to May 2025 failed

Lech_Miszkiewicz — Thu, 21 Aug 2025 23:31:07 GMT

Hi @Lauri

I would not give up that quick 😄 . You dont have to remember if certain things were done. You can just go through all those steps now and see for yourself if binaries are found, if certain paths are corrected, what services are running there in background etc...

Lastly, if you are sure you are doing all by the book and that still does not work why dont you open support ticket with Qlik or if you have Qlik Partner you can contact they likely will have even more hands on experience with those kinds of things as skilled partners keep on dealing with such issues on daily basis (or at least they should).

good luck

cheers

Re: Upgrade to May 2025 failed

Lauri — Mon, 05 Jan 2026 15:57:05 GMT

The solution to successfully installing QS Nov 2025 for me was here:

https://community.qlik.com/t5/Official-Support-Articles/Qlik-Sense-Enterprise-on-Windows-Upgrade-Failed-due-to/ta-p/1946424