This document provides tips and guidance for upgrading a Kentico CMS site from version 7 to version 8. It discusses preparing the site for upgrade by checking in code, backing up the database, and inventorying custom code. Various tools are described to help with the upgrade process, including the Code Upgrade Tool to identify issues. Potential troubleshooting topics are also covered such as handling incomplete upgrades, SQL timeouts, and broken design tabs. The overall recommendation is to upgrade in stages and test at each step.

1. Upgrade Like a Pro
Brian McKeiver, Co-Owner @ BizStream / Kentico MVP

2. What Are We Doing Here
Upgrade
Tips
#
Upgrade
Tools
Troubleshooting
Steps
# #

3. Let’s talk about this over a beer
When you see this…

4. Tips: Prepare your Upgrade
Planning Your Upgrade
Downtime
Development effort
New UI
Site administrators
End Users
Communication
Convert custom code to native?
Version 7 hotfix version?
Separate online marketing database?
Azure site?

5. Tips: Prep your Kentico Site
• Check-In all your work
• Review Event Log for no existing errors
• Return Virtual Objects to the Database
• Back up you Database and Code

6. Tips: Review your Situation
• Inventory Custom Code
• Place custom C# inside of regions
<%-- #region Name --%>
private void GreatestFunctionEver()
{
//throw NotImplementedException();
}
<%-- #endregion --%>

7. Tips: One step at a time
5.0 5.5 5.5 R2 6.0 7.0 8.0 8.1
There’s no shortcuts

8. Tips: RTFM

9. Tools: KIM
Upgraded Version from 7
• Deploy To allows you to deploy Windows Azure projects
• 8.0.2 or higher allows “Web Site” project type deploy

10. Tools: Code Upgrade Tool
Where to get it:
http://download.kentico.com/CodeUpgrade8.zip
Get ready for some
command line action

11. Tools: Code Upgrade Tool II
Issues.csv

12. Tools: Code Upgrade Tool III
• Common Issues with API
• Class method CMS.xxxxxx was removed. You can use method CMS.xxxxxx instead.
• Follow instructions as is, find and replace
• CMSContext.xxxxxx no longer exists
• CMSContext was split into multiple context objects to increase performance and reduce
dependency
EcommerceContext
DocumentContext
PortalContext
MembershipContext
• Avoid False Positives
For customized Kentico files, the tool reports all detected issues, including the default Kentico 7 code.
To analyze only the code placed inside the regions, run the tool with an additional parameter: -
customregion=<regionName>

13. Tools: Automatic Upgrade

14. Tips: Upgrade Transformations in one
shot

15. Tips: Upgrade Transformations in one
shot II

16. Tips: Don’t Run Vanilla (8.0.0)
Right after the upgrade
is a great time to hotfix

17. Tips: Upgrade Custom Class Registrations
• 7.0 custom classes for custom objects are different in 8.0
• Modules
• Scheduled Tasks
• Workflow Actions
• Integration Connectors
• http://www.mcbeev.com/Blog/May-2014/Registering-Custom-
Classes-in-Kentico-8-Has-Never-Been-Easier

18. Troubleshoot: Incomplete Upgrade
• After running Upgrade_7_0_8_0 exe, not all dll files in bin
were updated correctly.
• Windows 7 Users don’t forget to un block the upgrade download
• Also make sure you close Visual Studio before running the upgrade
package. You don't need to have the site running at the time of
upgrade.

19. Troubleshoot: Incomplete Upgrade II

20. Troubleshoot: Handling .new files

21. Troubleshoot: SQL Timeout
• As it turns out the ConnectionTimeout variable is used from
your web.config file.
• Up It!
• Manually run the SQL Script in SQL Management Studio to
avoid this timeout.
• Do perform a database restore if initial run of the script
errors.

22. Troubleshoot:
Broken Design Tab

23. Troubleshoot: Built in Control Changes
Kentico 7.0
Kentico 8.0

24. Troubleshoot: Event Log Review

25. Kentico 8.1 Upgrade
• Smaller upgrade- less of a pain
• Happy to report have not seen many issues

26. Check out the Kentico Rocks Podcast:
Questions

27. Thank you Email: bmckeiver@bizstream.com
Web: http://www.bizstream.com
Blog: http://www.mcbeev.com
Twitter: @mcbeev
LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/brianmckeiver