We have been using DNN for several years. I think we have been upgrading since somewhere around version 6, maybe. We are now running 9.4 and planning to upgrade to 9.13 (or whatever the latest is now). Is there a point where you should consider doing a fresh install of DNN and importing the content from the old site, or is it OK to just keep upgrading.
Thanks
Bryan, sometimes starting over fresh can be advantageous - kinda like "spring cleaning". ;-) However, theoretically "doing upgrades right" involves "spring cleaning" as well along the way. This "spring cleaning" can involve things like:
This list is by no means exhaustive, but intended to help think about some of the things involved. Lastly, you can also leverage one of the trusted vendors in the DNN Community to help with the process. Our team performs upgrades all of the time and no two seem to ever be exactly the same. ;-)
In my experience, as long as you practice good "hygiene" in maintaining the site and its resources, upgrading should be the way to go.
The only times I've recommended starting from a clean slate is when the website has been poorly maintained over the years and/or the number of core code changes are simply too complicated/plentiful to resolve.
I obviously agree with Daniel, and I have a few sites that started on DNN 3.xx and 4.xx. Also, one of our larger clients has between 1-3 sites per state that we recently upgraded from 4.xx. So, it's possible. 💪🏽
As long as you keep up with upgrades and keep things tidy, you should be good-to-go. 🥳
Bryan, keep an eye on all the 3rd party modules your website uses as well. You may want to double check dependencies from the current installed modules before running upgrades (just to have a clear path of what modules you need to upgrade right after you upgrade DNN).
Also, I try to keep an eye in the SEO footprint (in the scenario you are going to start with a fresh install) you don't want to miss an important URL that is generating organic traffic (this might be another reason to keep pushing updates on DNN as much as possible).
Posted By Bryan Lynn on 2/20/2024 8:36 AM Thanks for all the input. Good stuff. Now, I simply have to decide on how good have we been at doing upgrades the "right way" in the past ;-)
Well, if you uncover more questions, you know where to find us. 😊
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