Download - Sitecore upgrade best practices
![Page 1: Sitecore upgrade best practices](https://reader030.vdocuments.site/reader030/viewer/2022012914/58733f1a1a28abf21b8b6321/html5/thumbnails/1.jpg)
Sitecore Upgrade Best Practices
![Page 2: Sitecore upgrade best practices](https://reader030.vdocuments.site/reader030/viewer/2022012914/58733f1a1a28abf21b8b6321/html5/thumbnails/2.jpg)
Let's talk!• Quick Intro
• Why should you upgrade?
• Upgrade basics
• Research and planning
• Recommended approach
• Tips for a smooth upgrade
![Page 3: Sitecore upgrade best practices](https://reader030.vdocuments.site/reader030/viewer/2022012914/58733f1a1a28abf21b8b6321/html5/thumbnails/3.jpg)
Sitecore expert with 12 years of CMS experience and over 10 years of experience on the Sitecore platform. He loves building personalized web experiences using Sitecore's experience platform and helping clients understand Sitecore's capabilities. Scott has architected many large Sitecore applications including sites serving 200+ million page views annually.
Hi. I’m Scott.
Scott [email protected]
@sestocker
![Page 4: Sitecore upgrade best practices](https://reader030.vdocuments.site/reader030/viewer/2022012914/58733f1a1a28abf21b8b6321/html5/thumbnails/4.jpg)
An award winning global digital marketing and technology agency focused on customer experience
![Page 5: Sitecore upgrade best practices](https://reader030.vdocuments.site/reader030/viewer/2022012914/58733f1a1a28abf21b8b6321/html5/thumbnails/5.jpg)
Exceptional Sitecore ExpertiseSitecore PracticeSitecore partnership
since 2003Over 200 solutions
deliveredLarge global resource
pool> 80 certified Sitecore
resources
Center of ExcellenceBest practice
development3 MVPs on staff Ongoing internal
training program run by MVPs
Creation of industry accelerators and reusable frameworks such as content accelerators, custom data connectors
Creation of reusable Sitecore connectors: Eloqua, Pardot, Marketo, CRMs
![Page 6: Sitecore upgrade best practices](https://reader030.vdocuments.site/reader030/viewer/2022012914/58733f1a1a28abf21b8b6321/html5/thumbnails/6.jpg)
edynamic Sitecore integrations
![Page 7: Sitecore upgrade best practices](https://reader030.vdocuments.site/reader030/viewer/2022012914/58733f1a1a28abf21b8b6321/html5/thumbnails/7.jpg)
• Identify reasons to keep Sitecore on a current version
• Identify parts of the upgrade process
• Identify areas for research and planning
• Review the recommended approach
• Get everyone more comfortable with the upgrade process
Goals Today
![Page 8: Sitecore upgrade best practices](https://reader030.vdocuments.site/reader030/viewer/2022012914/58733f1a1a28abf21b8b6321/html5/thumbnails/8.jpg)
Why upgrade?
![Page 9: Sitecore upgrade best practices](https://reader030.vdocuments.site/reader030/viewer/2022012914/58733f1a1a28abf21b8b6321/html5/thumbnails/9.jpg)
• Support from Sitecore• Browser Compatibility• Server/Database Support• New Features
Why Upgrade
![Page 10: Sitecore upgrade best practices](https://reader030.vdocuments.site/reader030/viewer/2022012914/58733f1a1a28abf21b8b6321/html5/thumbnails/10.jpg)
Sitecore Support
![Page 11: Sitecore upgrade best practices](https://reader030.vdocuments.site/reader030/viewer/2022012914/58733f1a1a28abf21b8b6321/html5/thumbnails/11.jpg)
Sitecore Support
![Page 12: Sitecore upgrade best practices](https://reader030.vdocuments.site/reader030/viewer/2022012914/58733f1a1a28abf21b8b6321/html5/thumbnails/12.jpg)
Browser Support
![Page 13: Sitecore upgrade best practices](https://reader030.vdocuments.site/reader030/viewer/2022012914/58733f1a1a28abf21b8b6321/html5/thumbnails/13.jpg)
Server/Workstation OS
![Page 14: Sitecore upgrade best practices](https://reader030.vdocuments.site/reader030/viewer/2022012914/58733f1a1a28abf21b8b6321/html5/thumbnails/14.jpg)
Database Server
![Page 15: Sitecore upgrade best practices](https://reader030.vdocuments.site/reader030/viewer/2022012914/58733f1a1a28abf21b8b6321/html5/thumbnails/15.jpg)
• Sitecore tagging /facets for improved search experiences
• Item Buckets for improved content architecture• Introduction of xDB• Introduction of xProfile• Integrated Tag Management• Sitecore ContentSearch• SPEAK UI improvements• Sitecore Items Web API• Support for MVC ASP.NET 5.1
New Features
![Page 16: Sitecore upgrade best practices](https://reader030.vdocuments.site/reader030/viewer/2022012914/58733f1a1a28abf21b8b6321/html5/thumbnails/16.jpg)
The Basics
![Page 17: Sitecore upgrade best practices](https://reader030.vdocuments.site/reader030/viewer/2022012914/58733f1a1a28abf21b8b6321/html5/thumbnails/17.jpg)
• Database• Configuration• New Sitecore Files
• DLL’s• /sitecore directory
• Code Updates• New Server Roles
Components of a Sitecore Upgrade
![Page 18: Sitecore upgrade best practices](https://reader030.vdocuments.site/reader030/viewer/2022012914/58733f1a1a28abf21b8b6321/html5/thumbnails/18.jpg)
• Have to run steps separately as documented by Sitecore• Download the .update files• Usually Update Installation Wizard• Sometimes database scripts
• Upgrades the content database and files on disk
• Get needed files from Sitecore• SDN for versions of Sitecore before 8• Dev for 8.0 and above
Running the Sitecore Upgrade
![Page 19: Sitecore upgrade best practices](https://reader030.vdocuments.site/reader030/viewer/2022012914/58733f1a1a28abf21b8b6321/html5/thumbnails/19.jpg)
Running the Sitecore Upgrade
![Page 20: Sitecore upgrade best practices](https://reader030.vdocuments.site/reader030/viewer/2022012914/58733f1a1a28abf21b8b6321/html5/thumbnails/20.jpg)
Configuration Changes
![Page 21: Sitecore upgrade best practices](https://reader030.vdocuments.site/reader030/viewer/2022012914/58733f1a1a28abf21b8b6321/html5/thumbnails/21.jpg)
• Usually only required for major versions• For example, ContentSearch API from 6.6 to 7.0• Analytics API changes with xDB introduction• Introduction of SPEAK
• Start with new Sitecore DLL’s• Add to your solution in source control• Look for compilation errors• Test locally
• If making several leaps, wait until the final version to make code changes• For example, if going from 6.6 to 8.1, don’t stop at 7.0 to make
ContentSearch changes
Code Changes
![Page 22: Sitecore upgrade best practices](https://reader030.vdocuments.site/reader030/viewer/2022012914/58733f1a1a28abf21b8b6321/html5/thumbnails/22.jpg)
• If you are upgrading from < 7.5:• MongoDB• Processing server
• Other options• xManagement mode• xDB Cloud from Sitecore
New Server Roles
![Page 23: Sitecore upgrade best practices](https://reader030.vdocuments.site/reader030/viewer/2022012914/58733f1a1a28abf21b8b6321/html5/thumbnails/23.jpg)
Planning
![Page 24: Sitecore upgrade best practices](https://reader030.vdocuments.site/reader030/viewer/2022012914/58733f1a1a28abf21b8b6321/html5/thumbnails/24.jpg)
• Developer Workstations• Development Server• QA• UAT/Staging• Production CMS• Production CD
Sitecore Installations
![Page 25: Sitecore upgrade best practices](https://reader030.vdocuments.site/reader030/viewer/2022012914/58733f1a1a28abf21b8b6321/html5/thumbnails/25.jpg)
• Sitecore Modules• WFFM
• Marketplace Modules• Are they compatible with the version you are upgrading to?
• Other third party components• Clay Tablet Upgrade• .NET framework (Microsoft Identity changes)
Sitecore “add-ons”
![Page 26: Sitecore upgrade best practices](https://reader030.vdocuments.site/reader030/viewer/2022012914/58733f1a1a28abf21b8b6321/html5/thumbnails/26.jpg)
• “Big bang” upgrade?• Can all sites be upgraded at once?
• Don’t forget about Sitecore licensing• Per Sitecore instance• Temporary licensing available
Sites
![Page 27: Sitecore upgrade best practices](https://reader030.vdocuments.site/reader030/viewer/2022012914/58733f1a1a28abf21b8b6321/html5/thumbnails/27.jpg)
• Baseline metrics• Response time for top pages• CPU• Memory
• Hardware requirements are different for Sitecore 8.x
Performance
![Page 28: Sitecore upgrade best practices](https://reader030.vdocuments.site/reader030/viewer/2022012914/58733f1a1a28abf21b8b6321/html5/thumbnails/28.jpg)
• Document non-Sitecore web.config changes• Custom setting sections• WCF Endpoint definitions• Etc.
• Patch in Sitecore configuration changes• Ensure that the patching places your configuration where it
needs to be in the new version• /sitecore/admin/showconfig.aspx can help this process
Configuration
![Page 29: Sitecore upgrade best practices](https://reader030.vdocuments.site/reader030/viewer/2022012914/58733f1a1a28abf21b8b6321/html5/thumbnails/29.jpg)
• Final Database Upgrade Timing• Content Freeze• Code/Config Deployment• Rollback
Go Live
![Page 30: Sitecore upgrade best practices](https://reader030.vdocuments.site/reader030/viewer/2022012914/58733f1a1a28abf21b8b6321/html5/thumbnails/30.jpg)
Approach
![Page 31: Sitecore upgrade best practices](https://reader030.vdocuments.site/reader030/viewer/2022012914/58733f1a1a28abf21b8b6321/html5/thumbnails/31.jpg)
• On a developer workstation or sandbox environment• Practice Upgrade Steps• Work with Sitecore Support on any errors• Use vanilla CM instances
• Remove customizations – especially pipelines• Upgrade modules along with Sitecore versions• Document steps and problems
• Upgraded database can now be used for developer changes• Re-enable customizations and test• Make necessary code changes
Local Upgrade
![Page 32: Sitecore upgrade best practices](https://reader030.vdocuments.site/reader030/viewer/2022012914/58733f1a1a28abf21b8b6321/html5/thumbnails/32.jpg)
• Server where final upgrade will be run• Practice Upgrade Steps• Use vanilla CM instances
• Remove customizations – especially pipelines• Make it easy to replicate running the upgrade
• Should be able to run the upgrade steps easily
• Practice at least once before the final upgrade of content
• Have your CM and CD ready ahead of time• Code/Config will be deployed via your build process• Remember that custom config changes will be patched in
Upgrade Environment
![Page 33: Sitecore upgrade best practices](https://reader030.vdocuments.site/reader030/viewer/2022012914/58733f1a1a28abf21b8b6321/html5/thumbnails/33.jpg)
• Upgrade the databases using out-of-the-box Sitecore instances
• Sitecore files and configuration should come from the Sitecore installer• Custom config should be patched in!• Don’t try to follow the pages of config changes
• Remember to remove Sitecore support files you might have• Typically these are hotfixes for a particular known issue
• Test both content management and content delivery
• Don’t forget to review log files, both during the upgrade and after
Recommendations
![Page 34: Sitecore upgrade best practices](https://reader030.vdocuments.site/reader030/viewer/2022012914/58733f1a1a28abf21b8b6321/html5/thumbnails/34.jpg)
34
Features Easy to install on your Sitecore instance -
just select the current and target versions and start an upgrade
Pre-configured with automated testing capabilities powered by Selenium
Full support for multiple languages Can handle any number of websites or
microsites Tool tracks all upgrade events in Sitecore
log file so you can see success/failure at any time
Full support for user interface resolutions post upgrade
Full support for any on-premise or cloud deployment
Comes with 2 weeks of free, warranty support
Benefits Upgrade from any old Sitecore version to
a higher versions within days Low cost of overheads in upgrades All 3rd party integrations with Sitecore
instance maintained intact
Sitecore Automatic Version Upgrader
![Page 35: Sitecore upgrade best practices](https://reader030.vdocuments.site/reader030/viewer/2022012914/58733f1a1a28abf21b8b6321/html5/thumbnails/35.jpg)
edynamic‘s Auto vUpgrader for Sitecore
Tool detects the current version by itself. User needs to select the next version
Confirmation message displayed once the upgrade is complete
Automated test case can be run subsequently with the tool
Test results are displayed
![Page 36: Sitecore upgrade best practices](https://reader030.vdocuments.site/reader030/viewer/2022012914/58733f1a1a28abf21b8b6321/html5/thumbnails/36.jpg)
Upgrade of 13 sites from Sitecore 6.6 to 8.1 within 1.2 weeks
Georgia-Pacific LLC is one of the world's leading manufacturers & distributors of pulp, paper, tissue, toilet and paper towel dispensers and related chemicals.They were struggling for over past 4 months to upgrade multiple sites from Sitecore 6.6 to the latest version
Background
Solution & Benefits
• edynamic was hired by G-P to rescue its upgrade project undergoing delays for months by incumbent vendor
• With its upgrade utility tool edynamic upgraded 13 sites from Sitecore 6.6 to Sitecore 8.1 within a record time of 1.2 weeks
• Test results showed minimal errors and were easily fixed after the upgrade
![Page 37: Sitecore upgrade best practices](https://reader030.vdocuments.site/reader030/viewer/2022012914/58733f1a1a28abf21b8b6321/html5/thumbnails/37.jpg)
• Migration – not an upgrade• You tell the tool what content to migrate
• Migrates:• Content items and media • All users, roles and security permissions • Assists with configuration migrations
Sitecore Express Migration Tool
![Page 38: Sitecore upgrade best practices](https://reader030.vdocuments.site/reader030/viewer/2022012914/58733f1a1a28abf21b8b6321/html5/thumbnails/38.jpg)
Sitecore Express Migration Tool
![Page 39: Sitecore upgrade best practices](https://reader030.vdocuments.site/reader030/viewer/2022012914/58733f1a1a28abf21b8b6321/html5/thumbnails/39.jpg)
• Upgrade Sitecore regularly• I recommend at least once every 12-18 months
• Planning is key for success• Engage a partner for help
• Sitecore partners do upgrades all the time!• Practice helps – often based on content freeze
and time it takes to upgrade, you will need to do the process several times
• Engage Sitecore Support for issues you can’t google• Note: only Sitecore certified developers can engage support
• Don’t use IE to run the upgrade• Modify the web.config/sitecore.config to
increase timeouts
Tips
![Page 40: Sitecore upgrade best practices](https://reader030.vdocuments.site/reader030/viewer/2022012914/58733f1a1a28abf21b8b6321/html5/thumbnails/40.jpg)
Tips
![Page 41: Sitecore upgrade best practices](https://reader030.vdocuments.site/reader030/viewer/2022012914/58733f1a1a28abf21b8b6321/html5/thumbnails/41.jpg)
• Email: [email protected]• Twitter: @sestocker• LinkedIn: https://
www.linkedin.com/in/scottstocker • Sitecore Stack Exchange: https
://sitecore.stackexchange.com/ • Awesome-Sitecore: https://
github.com/sestocker/awesome-sitecore
Contact Me
![Page 42: Sitecore upgrade best practices](https://reader030.vdocuments.site/reader030/viewer/2022012914/58733f1a1a28abf21b8b6321/html5/thumbnails/42.jpg)
Questions?