After very painful weeks of studying the tables reading the new structure of 1.4.0.1 and going through pages of Magento Forums, I could not find the specific installation / upgrade I had with Magento and to tell you honestly it was really getting to my nerves.  Here is a simple step I have created to UPGRADE a 1.3.2.1 to a 1.4.0.1:

Keep it simple.

1.) Back Up your Production DB
2.) Create a new Staging DOMAIN
3.) Create a SAMPLE DB
4.) Install Magento 1.4.x.x in your Staging DOMAIN
5.) Use the SAMPLE DB for the NEW Magento 1.4.x.x Install
6.) Once everything is installed and working (AS A FRESH INSTALL)
7.) Create a NEW PRODUCTION BLANK DB
8.) Restore your Back Up’d Production DB and Restore it to the NEW one you created in STEP 7
9.) Go to /app/etc/
10.) Rename the “local.xml” to any file for example “local.xml-SOMETHING”
11.) Now go to the the STAGING DOMAIN (this should run the INSTALLATION again)
12.) Go through the Installation and use the NEW PRODUCTION DB you just restored in STEP 8
13.) Once you you go to the step after the database information, it may take a few minutes depending on your DB size, mine takes about 15 minutes (BE PATIENT)
14.) After a couple of REFRESH’s on your browser you will see the ENTER YOUR NAME section that means you have gone through.
15.) DONE

This procedure has helped me upgrade all my 6 clients whom run Magento as there backend e-commerce solutions and after documenting all my notes and making a step by step instruction manual, I have more fixes from the above steps.

If you had a very smooth version and less products and customization the above steps should work  flawlessly (I hope) but if it doesn’t as it did not for me, since I had to edit a few tables, my INDEX products / categories was not refreshing, had to DROP a table and edit the operation of one table.  I had to add the WIDGET table, etc.  Then yes it does need further deep fixing.

Please feel free to email me and I would be able to see if I can help you.

Then again to remind my readers that the above steps WORKED FOR ME and I was successful after a few weeks of painful studying.  It may not work for you if you have other customizations done to your site.  But hey!  It’s a staging site anyway and we all can get desperate, so go ahead give it a toy around!

P.S.

Do not forget about the the templates, your OLD templates will not work with the new 1.4.0.1 so again you have to recreate your templates as well.

Yeah yeah I know it is a pain, but oh well, we always love a little challenge.

‘Ciao!