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Upgrading a MySQL or MSSQL Database

To upgrade your database version, you need to back up the existing database and then restore it to a new database. These steps can all be completed in the Hosting Control Panel.

This process may take a few hours due to the length of time databases take to backup, set up, and restore. Let's get started in your Hosting Control Panel.

1. Backing up a MySQL or MSSQL Database

You can back up MySQL and MSSQL databases from the Database section of the Hosting Control Panel. For more information, see Backing up and Restoring MySQL or MSSQL Databases.

This creates and stores your backups in a folder in your hosting account, _db_backups.

Note: If you encounter an error the first time you attempt to create a backup, you should make sure the directory _db_backups exists. This directory doesn't display in the File Manager — files with an underscore are hidden. However, using an FTP client you can select the option to show hidden files and directories.

When you create a backup file using the Hosting Control Panel, our system names the file using the name of the existing database. While you cannot define a filename during the backup process, you can rename a file once the process is complete.

You can check on the status of your backup from the Manage Database screen.

2. Create a New Database

Create a new database using the upgraded version. For more information, see Create MySQL or MS SQL databases.

It takes up to 1 hour to create a database.

Once the database is created, you can click Actions, and then Details to find more information, such as its host name.

3. Restoring a MySQL or MSSQL Database

You can now restore your old database's backup into your new database. For more information, see Backing up and Restoring MySQL or MSSQL Databases.

Note: If you encounter errors while restoring a MySQL database, verify the Create Database line is removed or commented out from the database dump (backup file). Normally you can find this code about 10 to 15 lines down from the beginning. It can be removed or commented out by using a text editor of your choice (Notepad++ for example).

To begin using the new database, you need to update your website's connection strings, changing your Database Name, Password, and Host Name. You can find both your Database Name and Host Name on the Host Name page. For more information, see Viewing Your Database Details with Shared Hosting Accounts.