Upgrading

Upgrading replaces the application files and then updates the database schema. Your data stays where it is.

Before you start

Take a full database backup. If Primentra runs on a virtual machine, take a snapshot of the server as well. The snapshot also captures the application files, mds-config.json and the Windows service configuration. A database backup alone does not restore those.

Licence keys changed in 1.2026.7.28. Keys are now signed with Ed25519 and are considerably longer. A key issued for an older version stops validating after the upgrade, and the application falls back to read-only. Request a replacement key before you upgrade a licensed installation. See Licensing.

Upgrade steps

Back up the database, and snapshot the server if it is virtual.
Download Primentra-Setup-vX.X.X.exe from primentra.com.
Run the installer as Administrator. It detects the existing installation, stops the service, replaces the application files, and starts the service again. Your port is read back from the registry.
Open the application. Primentra compares the application version with the database schema version and shows an Upgrade database schema screen.
Click Upgrade database, then Continue.
Create an extra administrator account, or click Skip — use existing account to sign in with the one you have.
Check the version in the status bar and confirm the database connection is healthy.

Only an administrator can deploy the new schema. Other users see a "Database upgrade required" screen and are asked to wait.

Which database is updated

The one recorded in mds-config.json in the installation folder — the same connection the application uses. The installer never replaces or removes that file, so a database name you chose yourself survives every upgrade. To confirm beforehand, open Settings › General Settings › Connection.

Why the schema update is safe

Stored procedures use CREATE OR ALTER, so they are always replaced with the current version.
Migrations are guarded with existence checks. Only new changes are applied.
The schema script never modifies or deletes your data.

What it costs the people using it

Plan the upgrade around this rather than discovering it.

What	What happens
Everyone signed in	Signed out the moment the service stops. Sessions are held in the server's memory, so a restart ends every one of them.
The application	Locked for everybody from the restart until an administrator has run the database upgrade. Non-administrators see the "Database upgrade required" screen with only a Sign out button.
Unsaved grid edits	Lost. Ask stewards to save and close before you start.
A staging batch in progress	Its rows stay claimed but unprocessed — not imported, not reported, and not picked up by the next run. See below.
The scheduler	The SQL Agent job keeps firing every minute throughout, including while stored procedures are being replaced. Pause it first.
Your data	Not touched. The schema script alters structure, never rows.

Recovering an interrupted staging batch

A batch caught by the restart leaves rows marked as being processed, which no later run will collect. Release them once the upgrade is done:

POST /api/staging/{entityId}/recover

It returns the rows to Ready and closes the abandoned batch. Nothing does this automatically, so if you upgraded while staging was running, do it deliberately.

How long it takes

Usually under a minute. On a large installation it can take considerably longer, because some upgrades rebuild indexes on the values table and hold a lock while they do. Do not interrupt it — the upgrade applies its steps one at a time and is not undone as a whole if you stop it half way.

Take a full database backup first. The installer does not take one for you.

After the upgrade

Confirm schemaVersion and appVersion match — see Health & Monitoring.
Confirm the licence is still accepted under General Settings › License.
Check that the Primentra_Scheduler SQL Agent job still runs.
If staging was running when you started, release any interrupted rows as described above.

Being told about a new version

An administrator's notification bell turns green when a newer Primentra is released, and General Settings › Connection then shows the version you run, the version available, what changed, and a direct download.

The check runs in the administrator's browser, not on the server, so it works on an installation with no outbound internet of its own — and the server never makes an outbound call. It asks at most once a day. Switch it off with Check for new versions on the same screen if your organisation does not permit it; nobody except administrators ever sees the notice.