Converting a Database from a previous Version to Version 6.7 and vice versa

This section describes how to convert an existing database from one version to another.

The sections below describe a conversion of databases without the security feature:

When the Adabas role-based security feature is enabled, you should proceed with the steps described in the section Converting Databases with Adabas Role-based Security.

Procedural Steps

Software AG strongly recommends the following steps when converting a database:

  1. Create a backup of your existing database. Use the old version of ADABCK to backup the whole database.

  2. Modify the security configuration files.

  3. Convert the version of the database by performing the steps described below.

  4. Validate the consistency of the database. Use the FIELD and INDEX functions of the ADAVFY utility to validate the consistency of the database.

Converting Databases from Versions 6.1 Through to Version 6.6

Modify the Security Configuration Files

The following settings in the security configuration file adaauth.ini are mandatory: 

ACTION= YES
MODE=ADABAS

Please refer to the section Configuration of Adabas Role-Based Security for further information on the file location and content.

Convert the Database Version

If you want to upgrade a database from Version 6.1, 6.2, 6.3, 6.4, 6.5 or 6.6 to Version 6.7, there are two options available to you:

  1. Convert the data using either the utility ADABCK or ADAORD. This option requires that you

    1. Create a new Version 6.7 database;

    2. Unload the old database using ADABCK DUMP or ADAORD EXPORT with the utilities supplied for the old database version;

    3. Load the new database using ADABCK RESTORE or ADAORD IMPORT with version 6.7 utili-ties.

  2. Convert the data using the utility ADACVT of version 6.7. This utility converts an existing database in place.

Converting Databases with a Version Prior to Version 6.1

If you want to convert a database from Version 3 or Version 5, you must first upgrade the database to any of the versions Version 6.1 through 6.6, as described in the Release Notes of the version-specific documentation, and then proceed as described above.

Converting Databases with Version 6.7 to a Previous Version

Use the utility ADACVT to convert a database to a previous version. ADACVT converts the database in place to the selected target version (Version 6.3 through Version 6.6). A downgrade is not possible if features introduced with Version 6.7 were used. Furthermore, a downgrade to Version 6.5 or below will be rejected if features introduced with Version 6.6 had been used.

Alternative Method to Convert from Version 6.7 to Version 6.6, 6.5, 6.4 or 6.3

It is also possible to convert a Version 6.7 database back to Version 6.6, Version 6.5, Version 6.4 or Version 6.3 using the utility ADABCK. This is done by restoring a backup made with ADABCK Version 6.7 with the utility ADABCK of the respective target version. Unless the database is restored from scratch, ADABCK's version and the version of target database must coincide. However, this method is not applicable if features introduced with Version 6.7 were used. On a conversion back to Version 6.5 or below, features introduced with Version 6.6 must not have been used.

Collation Descriptors Created with ICU Version 5.4

Collation descriptors created with ICU Version 5.4 are not processed correctly with Adabas Versions 6.3 to 6.4. Therefore, after the conversion to the target version with ADACVT/ADABCK, it is necessary to perform an ADAINV REINVERT of the collation descriptors with the ADAINV of the target version.

Without the REINVERT, you get unexpected errors or incorrect results when you try to access the collation descriptors.

Modify the Security Configuration Files

The following settings in the security configuration file adaauth.ini are mandatory: 

ACTION= YES
MODE=ADABAS

Please refer to the section Configuration of Adabas Role-Based Security for further information on the file location and content.

Converting Databases with Adabas Role-based Security

This section describes how to convert a database when the Adabas role-based security feature is enabled:

  • Authentication for Adabas

  • Authorization for Adabas

Procedural Steps

The procedure to convert a database with Adabas role-based security is:

  1. Create a backup of your existing database, as described above;

  2. Modify the security configuration files;

  3. Create a backup of your existing security definitions;

  4. Convert the database using ADACVT;

  5. Load your security definitions;

  6. Validate the consistency of the database, as described above.

Modify the Security Configuration Files

The following settings in the security configuration file adaauth.ini are mandatory: 

ACTION= YES
MODE=ADABAS

Please refer to the section Configuration of Adabas Role-Based Security for further information on the file location and content.

Authentication

When the Authentication feature is enabled for your database, please contact your nearest Adabas support center for a detailed description on how to proceed.

Authorization

Perform the following steps, when the Authorization for Adabas Utilities feature is enabled: for your database:

MODE INI

  • Save the security definitions that are stored in the security configuration file adarbac.ini;

  • Use ADADBM RBAC_FILE to load the RBAC system file;

  • Use ADACVT to convert the database;

  • Use ADARBA to define your site-specific security definitions that are defined in the file adarbac.ini.

MODE ADABAS

  • Save the security definitions that are stored in the RBAC system file;

  • Use ADACVT to convert the database;

  • Use ADARBA to define your site-specific security definitions.

Audit Trail

The location and layout of the audit trail log file created by Authentication has been modified, please refer to the section Audit of the document Adabas Role-based Security.