(Bug report) Restoring from backup doesn't work

[axg20202]

Trilium Version

0.62.6

What operating system are you using?

Windows

What is your setup?

Local (no sync)

Operating System Version

TrueNAS and Windows

Description

I am trying to restore from a backup file. I've followed the Wiki instructions for both my TrueNas app install and desktop install. In both cases, swapping out the document.db file prevents the application from launching.

Strangely, there is no import feature for old Trillium database notes. This would really be an obvious feature to add. At the moment, it seems easier to import notes from other apps than import old Trilium notes that are in Trilium format, which is a problem.

Error logs

No response

[Nriver]

Run from terminal and see the logs.

[axg20202]

Thanks. It looks as though there is a version mismatch:

"App db version is 227, while db version is 197. Migration needed.
ERROR: Direct migration from your current version is not supported. Please upgrade to the latest v0.60.4 first and only then to this version."

How do I know which database version a previous release uses? Or is there a way to migrate an old database file to the latest version?

[meichthys]

I think you will need to update incrementally. You can view the release notes to see which versions required a version change, but generally there are only version changes in the major versions, i.e. going from v0.59 to v0.60 etc.

[axg20202]

OK, thanks. I had to download every major release and open the db file in each working my up to the current release. There has to be a better way to manage backups than the current implementation.

[zadam]

The fact you had to download an older release to migrate is unfortunate, but it is not a regular occurence, IIRC such cut-off has happened twice in the Trilium release history because of too large migration changes. Trilium is not going to make such big (DB) changes anymore and therefore this shouldn't happen again.

[dosubot[bot]]

That's correct—major migration cut-offs that require incremental upgrades have only happened a couple of times in Trilium's history, such as around v0.48 and v0.60.4, due to significant backend changes. The migration system is designed to apply schema changes incrementally, and in almost all cases, upgrades and restores work automatically as long as the database isn't too far behind the app version. When a database is much older, Trilium will prompt for an intermediate upgrade step, as you experienced, but this is now a rare scenario and not expected to recur in future releases [Upgrading Trilium - Wiki].

For reference, Trilium always creates automatic backups before migrations, and the restore process is documented here: Backup & Restore Guide. There are currently no open issues or planned changes to further automate the rare incremental upgrade process—recent code and discussions confirm the current approach is robust and stable for most users. If you ever need to check which database version a release uses, it's defined in the code as APP_DB_VERSION for each release [example].

To reply, just mention @dosu.

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