1. Review the release notes and upgrade guide
Check the release notes for anything you think would impact your users.
Tip: Use the Component column in the release notes to easily identify which parts of the application will have most impact on your work processes, so that you can focus quick checks in the features your users frequently use.
Hotfix releases almost never contain breaking changes.
The table below lists R4J versions that require preparation. Versions not listed here are safe to upgrade or downgrade as needed.
R4J version | Upgrade guide | Supporting articles / Important notes |
|---|---|---|
Breaking change: Tree view data after the migration are not compatible to lower versions. R4J 4.6.x vs 4.7.x performance benchmark results Loading issues and errors encountered after tree data migration | ||
“Expand all“ is removed. The feature comes back at 4.8.0. | ||
Breaking change: Revision data from this version are not compatible to lower versions. Summary of functions affected by revisions restructure in R4J 4.5 | ||
Breaking change: Coverage view filters modified and created from this version are not supported in lower versions. Coverage view filter migration. Already EOL. If further support is needed, contact our service desk. |
2. Test the R4J version upgrade using a test or staging instance
Based on your reviews done, do a quick check how the plugin works on your test and/or staging instance.
We strongly recommend to have a test or staging instance setup, which is as similar as possible to your production instance. This includes server and database configuration and properties, user/admin permissions, as well as a copy of the production data.
3. Plan tasks for the upgrade outside of business hours
Third-party plugins may have some effect to other plugins or Jira itself. For any upgrade, it’s safest to always plan outside of business hours in case anything goes wrong.
4. Backup your instance data
You should have an up-to-date backup to allow you to roll back the database in the very unlikely event that some sort of data corruption results from the upgrade.
5. Perform the R4J version upgrade in your production instance
It is important to do a quick test of the upgrade on your production instance. Based on the results, finalize your decision to remain with the version or roll back to a backward compatible version.