What, When and How to upgrade Yellowfin

Posted by: Yellowfin Team

By Director of Professional Services, Sadaka Ehrenblad

As part of your software subscription (or software support and maintenance) agreement, you are eligible to upgrade to new versions of Yellowfin’s Business Intelligence software.

At Yellowfin, we release a new version bi-annually, in May and November. We support the current version, plus two prior versions. If you are on a version that’s three or more versions old, then you may want to consider upgrading to a supported version.

What is meant by supported?

As mentioned above, we support the current software version plus two prior versions. Fixes are applied to these three versions, and patch releases are available at the end of every month for download from the customer portal.

As at today, we support:

  • May 2013 v6.3 (supported)
  • Nov 2012 v6.2 (supported)
  • May 2012 v6.1 (supported)

We do not support:

  • Nov 2011 v6.0 (not supported) or any version released before Yellowfin 6.1

When should I upgrade?

We recommend customers upgrade every 12 or 18 months in order to stay on a supported version. The benefits of regular upgrades means:

  • Simplicity: There is precedence within the company for undertaking upgrades and to know what it entails
  • Efficiency: There is less testing because there are less changes between the version you have and the version you upgrade to
  • Best of Breed: You are able to harness the latest functions, bug fixes and code improvements
  • Support: Enjoy the assurance that comes from being on a supported platform.

How do I upgrade?

Upgrade requirements can vary greatly depending on individual circumstance.

An upgrade may require little planning and involve a single server. Alternatively, it could require co-ordination from several different parties and involve a multi-tiered, clustered enterprise environment.

If you are intending to upgrade, and require further information or assistance, please contact Yellowfin at services@yellowfinbi.com.

In basic terms, an upgrade involves four steps.

1. Preparation

  • Backup your current Yellowfin configuration database
  • Backup any modified style sheet and image files
  • Backup any custom program files
  • Ensure Yellowfin has been shut down prior to running the upgrade application

2. Download patch installer

  • As a customer, you should have access to the customer portal. Simply login to access the files.

3. Run patch installer

  • Follow the steps in the wizard

4. Test upgraded instance

  • Test the environment for content and interactivity. While Yellowfin undertakes rigorous testing before every release, we recommend some regression testing done by the customer. Testing can include a check of:
    • Content (reports/dashboards/views/storyboards)
    • Connections
    • Schedules/broadcasts
    • Security (interaction with security frameworks e.g. AD or LDAP)
    • Interactive functions (e.g. drill, filters, sliders, etc)
    • Styling

Wishing you luck with your upgrade!

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