Migrating Data

Migrating Data to a Different Database

In the case that data needs to be migrated from one database installation to another, the following procedure can be used to export data, initialize the new database, and re-import the data. The following instructions apply to bare-metal and docker installations, although the particular commands required may vary slightly in each case.

Backup Database

Ensure that the original database is securely backed up first!

Database Versions

It is crucial that both InvenTree database installations are running the same version of InvenTree software! If this is not the case, data migration may fail, and there is a possibility that data corruption can occur. Ensure that the original database is up to date, by running invoke update.

Export Data

Export the database contents to a JSON file using the following command:

invoke export-records -f data.json

When using docker the command above would produce output inside the ephemeral container. To make sure your JSON file persists in the docker volume used for backups use the following command:

docker compose run inventree-server invoke export-records -f data/backup/data.json

This will create JSON file at the specified location which contains all database records.

Specifying filename

The filename of the exported file can be specified using the -f option. To see all available options, run invoke export-records --help

Initialize New Database

Configure the new database using the normal processes (see Configuration)

InvenTree Version

Ensure that the new installation is running exactly the same version of InvenTree as the installation from which you exported the data.

Then, ensure that the database schema are correctly initialized in the new database:

invoke update

This step ensures that the required database tables exist, and are at the correct schema version, which must be the case before data can be imported.

Import Data

The new database should now be correctly initialized with the correct table structures required to import the data. Run the following command to load the databased dump file into the new database.

Empty Database

If the database is not empty (i.e. it contains data records) then the data import process will fail. If errors occur during the import process, run invoke import-records with the -c option to clear all existing data from the database.

invoke import-records -c -f data.json

Import Filename

A different filename can be specified using the -f option

Character Encoding

If the character encoding of the data file does not exactly match the target database, the import operation may not succeed. In this case, some manual editing of the database JSON file may be required.

Migrating Data to Newer Version

If you are updating from an older version of InvenTree to a newer version, the migration steps outlined above do not apply.

An update from an old version to a new one requires not only that the database schema are updated, but the data held within the database must be updated in the correct sequence.

Follow the sequence of steps below to ensure that the database records are updated correctly.

Backup Database

When updating, it is always prudent to ensure that the database records are backed up first

Stop InvenTree

Ensure that the InvenTree server and worker processes are not running.

Example: Docker

If running under docker, run docker compose down

Fetch New InvenTree Version

Download the specific version of InvenTree you wish to update to.

Example: Docker

If running under docker, edit docker-compose.yml and then run docker compose pull

Run Update Process

Run the update and migration script using invoke update. This ensures that the database schema and records are updated in the correct order.

Restart Server

Once the migration process completes, the database records are now updated! Restart the server and the process is complete.

Example: Docker

If running under docker, run docker compose up -d