Hi Henning

I can't remember if there are some DB updates done - But I think there might be.

However...what I think is important is that you carefully think about what 3rd party datatypes/property editor you're currently making use of and figuring out how to deal with it if it turns out it's not supported in v7 but you need to swap it with another one for instance.

In regards to the live database I think that you should tell the client that there will be a period where you need to "freeze" the content creation to avoid issue when you need to put the upgraded database into production again. Once it's in production again you can let the client create content again. I know it's not necessarily an easy task if there are many editors though.

Just my 2 cents.

/Jan

Hi Henning

I've done this more times than I wish I had to...it's not a smooth process and requires a lot of care, sometimes a little trial and error too!

Some important things to consider....

1. In my experience upgrades go far more smoothly if you build in Visual Studio 2013 with Umbraco as nuget packages. If you use TFS only your sourcecode needs to be included in the project because the Umbraco files are all part of the nuget package, which are checked-in without the need for user intervention.
2. If you go the VS route, pull down a copy of your live DB as a .bak and restore it to a localDB instance.
3. Run Umbraco against IISExpress. This simplifies your developer setup and makes debugging easier.
4. Go from 4.11.x to 6.2.5, check all is good in 6.2.5 then move to 7.2.5.
5. Database changes do happen behind the scenes as there are changes to the schema.
6. Remove as many 3rd party packages as you can manage. Many don't have 7 equivalents.
7. There are differences in the built in datatypes. Ultimate pickers for example has no equivalent in 7 so better to convert them to the MNTP before moving up to 7, while Related Links will require changes to your view code. Others will also require tweaks to your view code.
8. Macros in 7 are formatted slightly differently in the RTE and while they continue to function ok, they don't look right in the RTE. So its better to delete and add them back.
9. The .configs all change A LOT, you may need to do compares, so if you use nuget DO NOT assume overwriting is the right way to go!
10. "Contour" is now "Forms" in 7. Contour sort of works in 7, but moving to forms is the better move. You will need to delete ALL of the Contour tables in the DB before Forms will install.
11. Skip Courier altogether its still a heap of C**P! Use uSync instead.
12. If you have written any complex back-end code NOW is the time to refactor to C# Surface controllers and Razor views. Bear in mind ALL of the newer technologies co-exist with the older ones. Although I would recommend using the newest APIs and refactor any that call deprecated or obsolete ones. 

If I think of anything else, i'll add to this list.

Right I must get back to my next Umbraco upgrade! :)

Kind regards

M.

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