How to Upgrade or Migrate QlikView 11.20 and later versions

[Yoichi_Hirotake]

The upgrade procedure of QlikView is straightforward and can be applied between all currently supported major versions.

The steps in this article are a basic guideline for upgrading, as well as for when moving/migrating QlikView to a new host.

The official and up to date procedure about upgrade can be found on the official Help site.

Preparation: 

• If you're upgrading from 11.20 to the 12.x releases, begin by reviewing QlikView 11.20 End of Life Upgrade: Known Issues and changes in product behaviour.
• Read up on the available fixes and Release Notes for your version. 
• Always test the new version extensively in a development or test server environment. If a test environment is necessary, but only one license currently available, please get in touch with your account manager to obtain a temporary test license. 

IMPORTANT: If Digital Certificates were used previously, the certificates need to be removed prior to the upgrade. A net set of certificates needs to be created by the Management Console and services on different machines need to be re-added for the certificates to be distributed. 

IMPORTANT: When upgrading, ensure that Desktop, Server & Plug-in (if used) are always upgraded so they are on the same version (including release number). If not, there may be unpredictable side effects. Running with mixed versions is not supported.

Environments:

• QlikView all versions

Step 1: Backup and Upgrade Preparation

• Backup C:\ProgramData\QlikTech folder on each machine that you installed QlikView Services. 
• Backup Root Folder 
• Backup C:\Program Files\QlikView

See Backup and upgrade preparation for details. 

Step 2: Upgrade the QlikView Server

Note: Before upgrade production environment, it is recommended to test QlikView on a test environment first to make sure everything behaves as expected, such as QlikView documents, objects, or tasks. This reduces the potential risks of compatibility issues.

• Download QlikView Server installation package from our download site. 
• Put QlikView Server installation package onto each machine that you installed QlikView Service 
• Stop all of the QlikView Services on each machine that you installed QlikView Services 
• Run QlikView Server installation package on each machine that you installed QlikView Service and follow the installation wizard displayed and install QlikView Server. 
• Reboot all of the machines after the upgrade.

See Upgrading on the same machine for details. 

Step 2 (Migration): Moving the QlikView Server, including the QVPR and tasks. 

An alternative way is to build a new environment entirely. Proceed as follows to perform a migration to a new machine. The example is written for a single node environment.

See Upgrading to a different machine for details.

Summary:

1. On the new machine, install a running, licensed version of QlikView Server.
2. Stop all QlikView services on the old machine.
3. On the new machine, remove or rename the %ProgramData%\QlikTech\ManagementService\QVPR folder.
4. On the new machine, remove or rename the %ProgramData%\QlikTech\ManagementService\qvpr_<NewMachineName>.ini file.
5. Copy the QVPR folder and the .ini file “as is” from the old machine to the new one (that is, keep the folder name).
6. Change all references to <OldMachineName> to <NewMachineName> in the following files:
   
   ProgramData\QlikTech\DistributionService\Configuration.xml
   ProgramData\QlikTech\DistributionService\Registration.xml
   ProgramData\QlikTech\WebServer\Config.xml
   ProgramData\QlikTech\ManagementService\Config.xml
   
   
7. Rename the .ini file (that is, change qvpr_<OldMachineName>.ini to qvpr_<NewMachineName>.ini).
8. Change all references to <OldMachineName> to <NewMachineName> in the QVPR .xml files.
9. Start the QlikView services on the new machine.
10. Do NOT use the QMC to change the Distribution Service Source Document paths, as doing so will potentially break the task links.  If you need to change paths, go directly to the SourceFolderDocumentResource.xml in the QVPR and make the changes directly there to point to the new paths, do not change anything but the path information, as the GUID links must stay the same in order to keep the tasks aligned. An alternative to editing the XML file directly is to use the XML DB Viewer power tool which allows you to search as well as find/replace.  
11. Shut down the old machine.

NOTE: If there have been any changes made to the QMS exe.config file, be certain those changes are documented somewhere, as they will need to be re-applied to the new QMS exe.config file post-upgrade.  The upgrade uninstalls the 11.20 files and installs new 12.xx files, which means the exe.config will be removed and recreated without customizations.  The QMS is unique in that it does not write changes to the programdata path like the other services, so be certain the customizations are documented and reapplied post-upgrade prior to bringing the services back online again.  

Step 4: Upgrade the QlikView Desktop client(s)

Download the QlikView Desktop client installation files and have them distributed to developers working with the creation and development of QlikView apps.

Step 5: Upgrade the QlikView Internet Explorer Plugin (if in use)

Note: The QlikView Desktop upgrade or installation will upgrade or install the correct version of the Plugin.

If no automated software rollout is being used, end-users can install the IE Plugin from the AccessPoint. Verify that the AccessPoint is configured to show the Plugin Download link. The setting is located in the QVWS@Webserver settings > AccessPoint > Access Point Settings > Plugin Download [ ] Show link.

Additional Resources:

QlikView Upgrade Guide - Step by Step

• Detailed preparation steps to follow before the upgrade including what to back up
• Information about QlikView related files and how they are affected by the upgrade
• A step-by-step upgrade example