Umbraco v13 latest to v15 latest failed at database upgrade step

childg · July 17, 2025, 5:52pm

Hello,

I have a simple Umbraco project that I’m trying to get upgraded from 13 to 15.

This project has been recently upgraded from 8.18 → 10 via new project/usync migrations. After a lot of work, I’ve debugged it & modified code to account for the new setup, rebuilt nested content in block grids, macros into partials, rebuilt the RTE, recreated a lot of content in the new setup, and finally have a running, exception-free, v13 instance running.

Now, I’ve tried upgrading it to v14 & straight to v15 and both upgrades give me a not very descriptive error at the database upgrade step that says: “Expected start object” and I have no clue what it means.

{"@t":"2025-07-17T17:39:20.9854479Z","@mt":"Failed {StepName}, with the message: {Message}","@l":"Error","@tr":"6200a578417fe768e7eb843edf8e69b1","@sp":"095baf5a07770391","StepName":"DatabaseUpgradeStep","Message":"The database failed to upgrade. ERROR: The database configuration failed with the following message: Expected start object\n Please check log file for additional information (can be found in 'LoggingSettings.Directory')","SourceContext":"Umbraco.Cms.Core.Services.Installer.UpgradeService","ActionId":"58d740a7-23ee-4f77-90b8-929482ace5ae","ActionName":"Umbraco.Cms.Api.Management.Controllers.Upgrade.AuthorizeUpgradeController.Authorize (Umbraco.Cms.Api.Management)","RequestId":"40000052-0000-ff00-b63f-84710c7967bb","RequestPath":"/umbraco/management/api/v1/upgrade/authorize","ProcessId":16000,"ProcessName":"iisexpress","ThreadId":49,"ApplicationId":"e94d8b58a39a5a62268994206f4ec81afe734fee","MachineName":"ALEX-LAPTOP","Log4NetLevel":"ERROR","HttpRequestId":"4b018527-15fb-46f7-9a1d-8f725fd89a64","HttpRequestNumber":7,"HttpSessionId":"0881ccc5-db0c-78c5-ed8b-1dd893e7b81a"}

Does anybody know what this exception indicates, and how to fix it? I’ve searched the forums but nothing seems to mention this specific problem.

Thanks,

Alex

eqtr-ab · July 18, 2025, 8:12am

The message mentions checking the log file for additional information - have you been able to find else anything there? By default I think it should exist under the umbraco/Logs directory.

childg · July 18, 2025, 2:37pm

Hello bruag, thanks for your reply.

I did check the error log and i see nothing concrete besides that error. Maybe I’m missing something.

Here is a screenshot of the screen I am getting.

And the error trail before the last one displayed on the login page:

Error Log

{“@t”:“2025-07-18T02:51:51.7918617Z”,“@mt”:“The request URI matched a server endpoint: {Endpoint}.”,“@tr”:“4e0ac59f58f579b502357e5394c5fb81”,“@sp”:“a6d5c07bd2941202”,“Endpoint”:“Token”,“SourceContext”:“OpenIddict.Server.OpenIddictServerDispatcher”,“RequestId”:“40000058-0009-f200-b63f-84710c7967bb”,“RequestPath”:“/umbraco/management/api/v1/security/back-office/token”,“ProcessId”:33468,“ProcessName”:“iisexpress”,“ThreadId”:55,“ApplicationId”:“e94d8b58a39a5a62268994206f4ec81afe734fee”,“MachineName”:“ALEX-LAPTOP”,“Log4NetLevel”:“INFO “,“HttpRequestId”:“eacd3789-c7d9-4a5f-8435-1197626eb27c”,“HttpRequestNumber”:8,“HttpSessionId”:“0”}
{”@t”:“2025-07-18T02:51:51.7921012Z”,“@mt”:“The token request was successfully extracted: {Request}.”,“@tr”:“4e0ac59f58f579b502357e5394c5fb81”,“@sp”:“a6d5c07bd2941202”,“Request”:“{\r\n "grant_type": "refresh_token",\r\n "client_id": "umbraco-back-office",\r\n "redirect_uri": "https://localhost:44333/umbraco/oauth_complete\”,\r\n "refresh_token": "[redacted]"\r\n}“,“SourceContext”:“OpenIddict.Server.OpenIddictServerDispatcher”,“RequestId”:“40000058-0009-f200-b63f-84710c7967bb”,“RequestPath”:”/umbraco/management/api/v1/security/back-office/token",“ProcessId”:33468,“ProcessName”:“iisexpress”,“ThreadId”:55,“ApplicationId”:“e94d8b58a39a5a62268994206f4ec81afe734fee”,“MachineName”:“ALEX-LAPTOP”,“Log4NetLevel”:“INFO “,“HttpRequestId”:“eacd3789-c7d9-4a5f-8435-1197626eb27c”,“HttpRequestNumber”:8,“HttpSessionId”:“0”}
{”@t”:“2025-07-18T02:51:51.8142282Z”,“@mt”:“The token request was successfully validated.”,“@tr”:“4e0ac59f58f579b502357e5394c5fb81”,“@sp”:“a6d5c07bd2941202”,“SourceContext”:“OpenIddict.Server.OpenIddictServerDispatcher”,“RequestId”:“40000058-0009-f200-b63f-84710c7967bb”,“RequestPath”:“/umbraco/management/api/v1/security/back-office/token”,“ProcessId”:33468,“ProcessName”:“iisexpress”,“ThreadId”:55,“ApplicationId”:“e94d8b58a39a5a62268994206f4ec81afe734fee”,“MachineName”:“ALEX-LAPTOP”,“Log4NetLevel”:“INFO “,“HttpRequestId”:“eacd3789-c7d9-4a5f-8435-1197626eb27c”,“HttpRequestNumber”:8,“HttpSessionId”:“0”}
{”@t”:“2025-07-18T02:51:51.8233945Z”,“@mt”:“The token ‘{Identifier}’ was successfully marked as redeemed.”,“@tr”:“4e0ac59f58f579b502357e5394c5fb81”,“@sp”:“a6d5c07bd2941202”,“Identifier”:“ac9959f7-be29-4c0c-ad91-2aaf298e843f”,“SourceContext”:“OpenIddict.Core.OpenIddictTokenManager”,“ActionId”:“ffd2e596-4618-476a-9ec5-7599f2a5ca79”,“ActionName”:“Umbraco.Cms.Api.Management.Controllers.Security.BackOfficeController.Token (Umbraco.Cms.Api.Management)”,“RequestId”:“40000058-0009-f200-b63f-84710c7967bb”,“RequestPath”:“/umbraco/management/api/v1/security/back-office/token”,“ProcessId”:33468,“ProcessName”:“iisexpress”,“ThreadId”:49,“ApplicationId”:“e94d8b58a39a5a62268994206f4ec81afe734fee”,“MachineName”:“ALEX-LAPTOP”,“Log4NetLevel”:“INFO “,“HttpRequestId”:“eacd3789-c7d9-4a5f-8435-1197626eb27c”,“HttpRequestNumber”:8,“HttpSessionId”:“4822484e-e0dc-c0ea-96f3-e31a61287c8a”}
{”@t”:“2025-07-18T02:51:51.8412736Z”,“@mt”:“The response was successfully returned as a JSON document: {Response}.”,“@tr”:“4e0ac59f58f579b502357e5394c5fb81”,“@sp”:“a6d5c07bd2941202”,“Response”:“{\r\n "access_token": "[redacted]",\r\n "token_type": "Bearer",\r\n "expires_in": 299,\r\n "scope": "offline_access",\r\n "refresh_token": "[redacted]"\r\n}”,“SourceContext”:“OpenIddict.Server.OpenIddictServerDispatcher”,“ActionId”:“ffd2e596-4618-476a-9ec5-7599f2a5ca79”,“ActionName”:“Umbraco.Cms.Api.Management.Controllers.Security.BackOfficeController.Token (Umbraco.Cms.Api.Management)”,“RequestId”:“40000058-0009-f200-b63f-84710c7967bb”,“RequestPath”:“/umbraco/management/api/v1/security/back-office/token”,“ProcessId”:33468,“ProcessName”:“iisexpress”,“ThreadId”:49,“ApplicationId”:“e94d8b58a39a5a62268994206f4ec81afe734fee”,“MachineName”:“ALEX-LAPTOP”,“Log4NetLevel”:“INFO “,“HttpRequestId”:“eacd3789-c7d9-4a5f-8435-1197626eb27c”,“HttpRequestNumber”:8,“HttpSessionId”:“4822484e-e0dc-c0ea-96f3-e31a61287c8a”}
{”@t”:“2025-07-18T02:51:59.6855103Z”,“@mt”:“Checking if {StepName} requires execution”,“@tr”:“d3a1de11ed5b05eef87f1e10079c8949”,“@sp”:“a2695d82260ee0c9”,“StepName”:“FilePermissionsStep”,“SourceContext”:“Umbraco.Cms.Core.Services.Installer.UpgradeService”,“ActionId”:“f06b3722-d672-410b-bf53-f9d7d30a7a2e”,“ActionName”:“Umbraco.Cms.Api.Management.Controllers.Upgrade.AuthorizeUpgradeController.Authorize (Umbraco.Cms.Api.Management)”,“RequestId”:“4000005c-0009-f200-b63f-84710c7967bb”,“RequestPath”:“/umbraco/management/api/v1/upgrade/authorize”,“ProcessId”:33468,“ProcessName”:“iisexpress”,“ThreadId”:66,“ApplicationId”:“e94d8b58a39a5a62268994206f4ec81afe734fee”,“MachineName”:“ALEX-LAPTOP”,“Log4NetLevel”:“INFO “,“HttpRequestId”:“ee0729b9-8a18-48fa-9104-d526de1a5e60”,“HttpRequestNumber”:9,“HttpSessionId”:“a3a7cb67-0fa6-ff20-19bb-a4a31b67a0e3”}
{”@t”:“2025-07-18T02:51:59.6856267Z”,“@mt”:“Running {StepName}”,“@tr”:“d3a1de11ed5b05eef87f1e10079c8949”,“@sp”:“a2695d82260ee0c9”,“StepName”:“FilePermissionsStep”,“SourceContext”:“Umbraco.Cms.Core.Services.Installer.UpgradeService”,“ActionId”:“f06b3722-d672-410b-bf53-f9d7d30a7a2e”,“ActionName”:“Umbraco.Cms.Api.Management.Controllers.Upgrade.AuthorizeUpgradeController.Authorize (Umbraco.Cms.Api.Management)”,“RequestId”:“4000005c-0009-f200-b63f-84710c7967bb”,“RequestPath”:“/umbraco/management/api/v1/upgrade/authorize”,“ProcessId”:33468,“ProcessName”:“iisexpress”,“ThreadId”:66,“ApplicationId”:“e94d8b58a39a5a62268994206f4ec81afe734fee”,“MachineName”:“ALEX-LAPTOP”,“Log4NetLevel”:“INFO “,“HttpRequestId”:“ee0729b9-8a18-48fa-9104-d526de1a5e60”,“HttpRequestNumber”:9,“HttpSessionId”:“a3a7cb67-0fa6-ff20-19bb-a4a31b67a0e3”}
{”@t”:“2025-07-18T02:51:59.6913649Z”,“@mt”:“Finished {StepName}”,“@tr”:“d3a1de11ed5b05eef87f1e10079c8949”,“@sp”:“a2695d82260ee0c9”,“StepName”:“FilePermissionsStep”,“SourceContext”:“Umbraco.Cms.Core.Services.Installer.UpgradeService”,“ActionId”:“f06b3722-d672-410b-bf53-f9d7d30a7a2e”,“ActionName”:“Umbraco.Cms.Api.Management.Controllers.Upgrade.AuthorizeUpgradeController.Authorize (Umbraco.Cms.Api.Management)”,“RequestId”:“4000005c-0009-f200-b63f-84710c7967bb”,“RequestPath”:“/umbraco/management/api/v1/upgrade/authorize”,“ProcessId”:33468,“ProcessName”:“iisexpress”,“ThreadId”:66,“ApplicationId”:“e94d8b58a39a5a62268994206f4ec81afe734fee”,“MachineName”:“ALEX-LAPTOP”,“Log4NetLevel”:“INFO “,“HttpRequestId”:“ee0729b9-8a18-48fa-9104-d526de1a5e60”,“HttpRequestNumber”:9,“HttpSessionId”:“a3a7cb67-0fa6-ff20-19bb-a4a31b67a0e3”}
{”@t”:“2025-07-18T02:51:59.6914197Z”,“@mt”:“Checking if {StepName} requires execution”,“@tr”:“d3a1de11ed5b05eef87f1e10079c8949”,“@sp”:“a2695d82260ee0c9”,“StepName”:“TelemetryIdentifierStep”,“SourceContext”:“Umbraco.Cms.Core.Services.Installer.UpgradeService”,“ActionId”:“f06b3722-d672-410b-bf53-f9d7d30a7a2e”,“ActionName”:“Umbraco.Cms.Api.Management.Controllers.Upgrade.AuthorizeUpgradeController.Authorize (Umbraco.Cms.Api.Management)”,“RequestId”:“4000005c-0009-f200-b63f-84710c7967bb”,“RequestPath”:“/umbraco/management/api/v1/upgrade/authorize”,“ProcessId”:33468,“ProcessName”:“iisexpress”,“ThreadId”:66,“ApplicationId”:“e94d8b58a39a5a62268994206f4ec81afe734fee”,“MachineName”:“ALEX-LAPTOP”,“Log4NetLevel”:“INFO “,“HttpRequestId”:“ee0729b9-8a18-48fa-9104-d526de1a5e60”,“HttpRequestNumber”:9,“HttpSessionId”:“a3a7cb67-0fa6-ff20-19bb-a4a31b67a0e3”}
{”@t”:“2025-07-18T02:51:59.6914859Z”,“@mt”:“Skipping {StepName}”,“@tr”:“d3a1de11ed5b05eef87f1e10079c8949”,“@sp”:“a2695d82260ee0c9”,“StepName”:“TelemetryIdentifierStep”,“SourceContext”:“Umbraco.Cms.Core.Services.Installer.UpgradeService”,“ActionId”:“f06b3722-d672-410b-bf53-f9d7d30a7a2e”,“ActionName”:“Umbraco.Cms.Api.Management.Controllers.Upgrade.AuthorizeUpgradeController.Authorize (Umbraco.Cms.Api.Management)”,“RequestId”:“4000005c-0009-f200-b63f-84710c7967bb”,“RequestPath”:“/umbraco/management/api/v1/upgrade/authorize”,“ProcessId”:33468,“ProcessName”:“iisexpress”,“ThreadId”:66,“ApplicationId”:“e94d8b58a39a5a62268994206f4ec81afe734fee”,“MachineName”:“ALEX-LAPTOP”,“Log4NetLevel”:“INFO “,“HttpRequestId”:“ee0729b9-8a18-48fa-9104-d526de1a5e60”,“HttpRequestNumber”:9,“HttpSessionId”:“a3a7cb67-0fa6-ff20-19bb-a4a31b67a0e3”}
{”@t”:“2025-07-18T02:51:59.6915121Z”,“@mt”:“Checking if {StepName} requires execution”,“@tr”:“d3a1de11ed5b05eef87f1e10079c8949”,“@sp”:“a2695d82260ee0c9”,“StepName”:“DatabaseInstallStep”,“SourceContext”:“Umbraco.Cms.Core.Services.Installer.UpgradeService”,“ActionId”:“f06b3722-d672-410b-bf53-f9d7d30a7a2e”,“ActionName”:“Umbraco.Cms.Api.Management.Controllers.Upgrade.AuthorizeUpgradeController.Authorize (Umbraco.Cms.Api.Management)”,“RequestId”:“4000005c-0009-f200-b63f-84710c7967bb”,“RequestPath”:“/umbraco/management/api/v1/upgrade/authorize”,“ProcessId”:33468,“ProcessName”:“iisexpress”,“ThreadId”:66,“ApplicationId”:“e94d8b58a39a5a62268994206f4ec81afe734fee”,“MachineName”:“ALEX-LAPTOP”,“Log4NetLevel”:“INFO “,“HttpRequestId”:“ee0729b9-8a18-48fa-9104-d526de1a5e60”,“HttpRequestNumber”:9,“HttpSessionId”:“a3a7cb67-0fa6-ff20-19bb-a4a31b67a0e3”}
{”@t”:“2025-07-18T02:51:59.6915368Z”,“@mt”:“Running {StepName}”,“@tr”:“d3a1de11ed5b05eef87f1e10079c8949”,“@sp”:“a2695d82260ee0c9”,“StepName”:“DatabaseInstallStep”,“SourceContext”:“Umbraco.Cms.Core.Services.Installer.UpgradeService”,“ActionId”:“f06b3722-d672-410b-bf53-f9d7d30a7a2e”,“ActionName”:“Umbraco.Cms.Api.Management.Controllers.Upgrade.AuthorizeUpgradeController.Authorize (Umbraco.Cms.Api.Management)”,“RequestId”:“4000005c-0009-f200-b63f-84710c7967bb”,“RequestPath”:“/umbraco/management/api/v1/upgrade/authorize”,“ProcessId”:33468,“ProcessName”:“iisexpress”,“ThreadId”:66,“ApplicationId”:“e94d8b58a39a5a62268994206f4ec81afe734fee”,“MachineName”:“ALEX-LAPTOP”,“Log4NetLevel”:“INFO “,“HttpRequestId”:“ee0729b9-8a18-48fa-9104-d526de1a5e60”,“HttpRequestNumber”:9,“HttpSessionId”:“a3a7cb67-0fa6-ff20-19bb-a4a31b67a0e3”}
{”@t”:“2025-07-18T02:51:59.6918581Z”,“@mt”:“Database configuration status: Started”,“@tr”:“d3a1de11ed5b05eef87f1e10079c8949”,“@sp”:“a2695d82260ee0c9”,“SourceContext”:“Umbraco.Cms.Infrastructure.Migrations.Install.DatabaseBuilder”,“ActionId”:“f06b3722-d672-410b-bf53-f9d7d30a7a2e”,“ActionName”:“Umbraco.Cms.Api.Management.Controllers.Upgrade.AuthorizeUpgradeController.Authorize (Umbraco.Cms.Api.Management)”,“RequestId”:“4000005c-0009-f200-b63f-84710c7967bb”,“RequestPath”:“/umbraco/management/api/v1/upgrade/authorize”,“ProcessId”:33468,“ProcessName”:“iisexpress”,“ThreadId”:66,“ApplicationId”:“e94d8b58a39a5a62268994206f4ec81afe734fee”,“MachineName”:“ALEX-LAPTOP”,“Log4NetLevel”:“INFO “,“HttpRequestId”:“ee0729b9-8a18-48fa-9104-d526de1a5e60”,“HttpRequestNumber”:9,“HttpSessionId”:“a3a7cb67-0fa6-ff20-19bb-a4a31b67a0e3”}
{”@t”:“2025-07-18T02:52:00.2254322Z”,“@mt”:“Database requires upgrade”,“@tr”:“d3a1de11ed5b05eef87f1e10079c8949”,“@sp”:“a2695d82260ee0c9”,“SourceContext”:“Umbraco.Cms.Infrastructure.Migrations.Install.DatabaseBuilder”,“ActionId”:“f06b3722-d672-410b-bf53-f9d7d30a7a2e”,“ActionName”:“Umbraco.Cms.Api.Management.Controllers.Upgrade.AuthorizeUpgradeController.Authorize (Umbraco.Cms.Api.Management)”,“RequestId”:“4000005c-0009-f200-b63f-84710c7967bb”,“RequestPath”:“/umbraco/management/api/v1/upgrade/authorize”,“ProcessId”:33468,“ProcessName”:“iisexpress”,“ThreadId”:66,“ApplicationId”:“e94d8b58a39a5a62268994206f4ec81afe734fee”,“MachineName”:“ALEX-LAPTOP”,“Log4NetLevel”:“INFO “,“HttpRequestId”:“ee0729b9-8a18-48fa-9104-d526de1a5e60”,“HttpRequestNumber”:9,“HttpSessionId”:“a3a7cb67-0fa6-ff20-19bb-a4a31b67a0e3”}
{”@t”:“2025-07-18T02:52:00.2260041Z”,“@mt”:“Finished {StepName}”,“@tr”:“d3a1de11ed5b05eef87f1e10079c8949”,“@sp”:“a2695d82260ee0c9”,“StepName”:“DatabaseInstallStep”,“SourceContext”:“Umbraco.Cms.Core.Services.Installer.UpgradeService”,“ActionId”:“f06b3722-d672-410b-bf53-f9d7d30a7a2e”,“ActionName”:“Umbraco.Cms.Api.Management.Controllers.Upgrade.AuthorizeUpgradeController.Authorize (Umbraco.Cms.Api.Management)”,“RequestId”:“4000005c-0009-f200-b63f-84710c7967bb”,“RequestPath”:“/umbraco/management/api/v1/upgrade/authorize”,“ProcessId”:33468,“ProcessName”:“iisexpress”,“ThreadId”:66,“ApplicationId”:“e94d8b58a39a5a62268994206f4ec81afe734fee”,“MachineName”:“ALEX-LAPTOP”,“Log4NetLevel”:“INFO “,“HttpRequestId”:“ee0729b9-8a18-48fa-9104-d526de1a5e60”,“HttpRequestNumber”:9,“HttpSessionId”:“a3a7cb67-0fa6-ff20-19bb-a4a31b67a0e3”}
{”@t”:“2025-07-18T02:52:00.2260386Z”,“@mt”:“Checking if {StepName} requires execution”,“@tr”:“d3a1de11ed5b05eef87f1e10079c8949”,“@sp”:“a2695d82260ee0c9”,“StepName”:“DatabaseUpgradeStep”,“SourceContext”:“Umbraco.Cms.Core.Services.Installer.UpgradeService”,“ActionId”:“f06b3722-d672-410b-bf53-f9d7d30a7a2e”,“ActionName”:“Umbraco.Cms.Api.Management.Controllers.Upgrade.AuthorizeUpgradeController.Authorize (Umbraco.Cms.Api.Management)”,“RequestId”:“4000005c-0009-f200-b63f-84710c7967bb”,“RequestPath”:“/umbraco/management/api/v1/upgrade/authorize”,“ProcessId”:33468,“ProcessName”:“iisexpress”,“ThreadId”:66,“ApplicationId”:“e94d8b58a39a5a62268994206f4ec81afe734fee”,“MachineName”:“ALEX-LAPTOP”,“Log4NetLevel”:“INFO “,“HttpRequestId”:“ee0729b9-8a18-48fa-9104-d526de1a5e60”,“HttpRequestNumber”:9,“HttpSessionId”:“a3a7cb67-0fa6-ff20-19bb-a4a31b67a0e3”}
{”@t”:“2025-07-18T02:52:00.2291301Z”,“@mt”:“Running {StepName}”,“@tr”:“d3a1de11ed5b05eef87f1e10079c8949”,“@sp”:“a2695d82260ee0c9”,“StepName”:“DatabaseUpgradeStep”,“SourceContext”:“Umbraco.Cms.Core.Services.Installer.UpgradeService”,“ActionId”:“f06b3722-d672-410b-bf53-f9d7d30a7a2e”,“ActionName”:“Umbraco.Cms.Api.Management.Controllers.Upgrade.AuthorizeUpgradeController.Authorize (Umbraco.Cms.Api.Management)”,“RequestId”:“4000005c-0009-f200-b63f-84710c7967bb”,“RequestPath”:“/umbraco/management/api/v1/upgrade/authorize”,“ProcessId”:33468,“ProcessName”:“iisexpress”,“ThreadId”:66,“ApplicationId”:“e94d8b58a39a5a62268994206f4ec81afe734fee”,“MachineName”:“ALEX-LAPTOP”,“Log4NetLevel”:“INFO “,“HttpRequestId”:“ee0729b9-8a18-48fa-9104-d526de1a5e60”,“HttpRequestNumber”:9,“HttpSessionId”:“a3a7cb67-0fa6-ff20-19bb-a4a31b67a0e3”}
{”@t”:“2025-07-18T02:52:00.2292735Z”,“@mt”:“Running ‘Upgrade’ service”,“@tr”:“d3a1de11ed5b05eef87f1e10079c8949”,“@sp”:“a2695d82260ee0c9”,“SourceContext”:“Umbraco.Cms.Infrastructure.Installer.Steps.DatabaseUpgradeStep”,“ActionId”:“f06b3722-d672-410b-bf53-f9d7d30a7a2e”,“ActionName”:“Umbraco.Cms.Api.Management.Controllers.Upgrade.AuthorizeUpgradeController.Authorize (Umbraco.Cms.Api.Management)”,“RequestId”:“4000005c-0009-f200-b63f-84710c7967bb”,“RequestPath”:“/umbraco/management/api/v1/upgrade/authorize”,“ProcessId”:33468,“ProcessName”:“iisexpress”,“ThreadId”:66,“ApplicationId”:“e94d8b58a39a5a62268994206f4ec81afe734fee”,“MachineName”:“ALEX-LAPTOP”,“Log4NetLevel”:“INFO “,“HttpRequestId”:“ee0729b9-8a18-48fa-9104-d526de1a5e60”,“HttpRequestNumber”:9,“HttpSessionId”:“a3a7cb67-0fa6-ff20-19bb-a4a31b67a0e3”}
{”@t”:“2025-07-18T02:52:00.2295396Z”,“@mt”:“Database upgrade started”,“@tr”:“d3a1de11ed5b05eef87f1e10079c8949”,“@sp”:“a2695d82260ee0c9”,“SourceContext”:“Umbraco.Cms.Infrastructure.Migrations.Install.DatabaseBuilder”,“ActionId”:“f06b3722-d672-410b-bf53-f9d7d30a7a2e”,“ActionName”:“Umbraco.Cms.Api.Management.Controllers.Upgrade.AuthorizeUpgradeController.Authorize (Umbraco.Cms.Api.Management)”,“RequestId”:“4000005c-0009-f200-b63f-84710c7967bb”,“RequestPath”:“/umbraco/management/api/v1/upgrade/authorize”,“ProcessId”:33468,“ProcessName”:“iisexpress”,“ThreadId”:66,“ApplicationId”:“e94d8b58a39a5a62268994206f4ec81afe734fee”,“MachineName”:“ALEX-LAPTOP”,“Log4NetLevel”:“INFO “,“HttpRequestId”:“ee0729b9-8a18-48fa-9104-d526de1a5e60”,“HttpRequestNumber”:9,“HttpSessionId”:“a3a7cb67-0fa6-ff20-19bb-a4a31b67a0e3”}
{”@t”:“2025-07-18T02:52:00.2304581Z”,“@mt”:“Starting ‘{MigrationName}’…”,“@tr”:“d3a1de11ed5b05eef87f1e10079c8949”,“@sp”:“a2695d82260ee0c9”,“MigrationName”:“Umbraco.Core”,“SourceContext”:“Umbraco.Cms.Infrastructure.Migrations.MigrationPlanExecutor”,“ActionId”:“f06b3722-d672-410b-bf53-f9d7d30a7a2e”,“ActionName”:“Umbraco.Cms.Api.Management.Controllers.Upgrade.AuthorizeUpgradeController.Authorize (Umbraco.Cms.Api.Management)”,“RequestId”:“4000005c-0009-f200-b63f-84710c7967bb”,“RequestPath”:“/umbraco/management/api/v1/upgrade/authorize”,“ProcessId”:33468,“ProcessName”:“iisexpress”,“ThreadId”:66,“ApplicationId”:“e94d8b58a39a5a62268994206f4ec81afe734fee”,“MachineName”:“ALEX-LAPTOP”,“Log4NetLevel”:“INFO “,“HttpRequestId”:“ee0729b9-8a18-48fa-9104-d526de1a5e60”,“HttpRequestNumber”:9,“HttpSessionId”:“a3a7cb67-0fa6-ff20-19bb-a4a31b67a0e3”}
{”@t”:“2025-07-18T02:52:00.2304742Z”,“@mt”:“At {OrigState}”,“@tr”:“d3a1de11ed5b05eef87f1e10079c8949”,“@sp”:“a2695d82260ee0c9”,“OrigState”:“{0D82C836-96DD-480D-A924-7964E458BD34}”,“SourceContext”:“Umbraco.Cms.Infrastructure.Migrations.MigrationPlanExecutor”,“ActionId”:“f06b3722-d672-410b-bf53-f9d7d30a7a2e”,“ActionName”:“Umbraco.Cms.Api.Management.Controllers.Upgrade.AuthorizeUpgradeController.Authorize (Umbraco.Cms.Api.Management)”,“RequestId”:“4000005c-0009-f200-b63f-84710c7967bb”,“RequestPath”:“/umbraco/management/api/v1/upgrade/authorize”,“ProcessId”:33468,“ProcessName”:“iisexpress”,“ThreadId”:66,“ApplicationId”:“e94d8b58a39a5a62268994206f4ec81afe734fee”,“MachineName”:“ALEX-LAPTOP”,“Log4NetLevel”:“INFO “,“HttpRequestId”:“ee0729b9-8a18-48fa-9104-d526de1a5e60”,“HttpRequestNumber”:9,“HttpSessionId”:“a3a7cb67-0fa6-ff20-19bb-a4a31b67a0e3”}
{”@t”:“2025-07-18T02:52:00.2304819Z”,“@mt”:“Execute {MigrationType}”,“@tr”:“d3a1de11ed5b05eef87f1e10079c8949”,“@sp”:“a2695d82260ee0c9”,“MigrationType”:“MoveDocumentBlueprintsToFolders”,“SourceContext”:“Umbraco.Cms.Infrastructure.Migrations.MigrationPlanExecutor”,“ActionId”:“f06b3722-d672-410b-bf53-f9d7d30a7a2e”,“ActionName”:“Umbraco.Cms.Api.Management.Controllers.Upgrade.AuthorizeUpgradeController.Authorize (Umbraco.Cms.Api.Management)”,“RequestId”:“4000005c-0009-f200-b63f-84710c7967bb”,“RequestPath”:“/umbraco/management/api/v1/upgrade/authorize”,“ProcessId”:33468,“ProcessName”:“iisexpress”,“ThreadId”:66,“ApplicationId”:“e94d8b58a39a5a62268994206f4ec81afe734fee”,“MachineName”:“ALEX-LAPTOP”,“Log4NetLevel”:“INFO “,“HttpRequestId”:“ee0729b9-8a18-48fa-9104-d526de1a5e60”,“HttpRequestNumber”:9,“HttpSessionId”:“a3a7cb67-0fa6-ff20-19bb-a4a31b67a0e3”}
{”@t”:“2025-07-18T02:52:00.3870357Z”,“@mt”:“Plan {PlanName} failed at step {TargetState}”,“@l”:“Error”,“@x”:“System.Text.Json.JsonException: Expected start object\r\n at Umbraco.Cms.Infrastructure.Serialization.JsonBlockValueConverter.Read(Utf8JsonReader& reader, Type typeToConvert, JsonSerializerOptions options)\r\n at System.Text.Json.Serialization.JsonConverter1.ReadAsObject(Utf8JsonReader& reader, Type typeToConvert, JsonSerializerOptions options)\r\n at System.Text.Json.Serialization.Converters.CastingConverter1.Read(Utf8JsonReader& reader, Type typeToConvert, JsonSerializerOptions options)\r\n at System.Text.Json.Serialization.JsonConverter1.TryRead(Utf8JsonReader& reader, Type typeToConvert, JsonSerializerOptions options, ReadStack& state, T& value, Boolean& isPopulatedValue)\r\n at System.Text.Json.Serialization.JsonConverter1.ReadCore(Utf8JsonReader& reader, T& value, JsonSerializerOptions options, ReadStack& state)\r\n at System.Text.Json.Serialization.Metadata.JsonTypeInfo1.Deserialize(Utf8JsonReader& reader, ReadStack& state)\r\n at System.Text.Json.JsonSerializer.ReadFromSpan[TValue](ReadOnlySpan1 utf8Json, JsonTypeInfo1 jsonTypeInfo, Nullable1 actualByteCount)\r\n at System.Text.Json.JsonSerializer.ReadFromSpan[TValue](ReadOnlySpan1 json, JsonTypeInfo1 jsonTypeInfo)\r\n at System.Text.Json.JsonSerializer.Deserialize[TValue](String json, JsonSerializerOptions options)\r\n at Umbraco.Cms.Infrastructure.Serialization.SystemTextJsonSerializerBase.Deserialize[T](String input)\r\n at Umbraco.Cms.Core.Models.Blocks.BlockEditorDataConverter2.Deserialize(String json)\r\n at Umbraco.Cms.Core.PropertyEditors.BlockEditorValues2.DeserializeAndClean(Object propertyValue)\r\n at Umbraco.Cms.Core.PropertyEditors.BlockEditorPropertyValueEditor2.ParseBlockValue(Object value)\r\n at Umbraco.Cms.Core.PropertyEditors.BlockEditorPropertyValueEditor2.GetReferences(Object value)\r\n at System.Linq.Enumerable.SelectManySingleSelectorIterator2.MoveNext()\r\n at Umbraco.Cms.Core.PropertyEditors.DataValueReferenceFactoryCollection.GetReferencesEnumerable(IDataEditor dataEditor, IEnumerable1 values)+MoveNext()\r\n at System.Collections.Generic.HashSet1.UnionWith(IEnumerable1 other)\r\n at System.Collections.Generic.HashSet1..ctor(IEnumerable1 collection, IEqualityComparer1 comparer)\r\n at System.Linq.Enumerable.ToHashSet[TSource](IEnumerable1 source, IEqualityComparer1 comparer)\r\n at System.Linq.Enumerable.ToHashSet[TSource](IEnumerable1 source)\r\n at Umbraco.Cms.Core.PropertyEditors.DataValueReferenceFactoryCollection.GetReferences(IDataEditor dataEditor, IEnumerable1 values)\r\n at Umbraco.Cms.Core.PropertyEditors.DataValueReferenceFactoryCollection.GetAllReferences(IPropertyCollection properties, PropertyEditorCollection propertyEditors)\r\n at Umbraco.Cms.Infrastructure.Persistence.Repositories.Implement.ContentRepositoryBase3.PersistRelations(TEntity entity)\r\n at Umbraco.Cms.Infrastructure.Persistence.Repositories.Implement.DocumentRepository.PersistUpdatedItem(IContent entity)\r\n at Umbraco.Cms.Core.Cache.DefaultRepositoryCachePolicy2.Update(TEntity entity, Action1 persistUpdated)\r\n at Umbraco.Cms.Infrastructure.Persistence.Repositories.Implement.EntityRepositoryBase2.Save(TEntity entity)\r\n at Umbraco.Cms.Core.Services.ContentService.SaveBlueprint(IContent content, Int32 userId)\r\n at Umbraco.Cms.Infrastructure.Migrations.Upgrade.V_14_0_0.MoveDocumentBlueprintsToFolders.Migrate()\r\n at Umbraco.Cms.Infrastructure.Migrations.MigrationBase.Run()\r\n at Umbraco.Cms.Infrastructure.Migrations.MigrationPlanExecutor.RunMigration(Type migrationType, MigrationContext context)\r\n at Umbraco.Cms.Infrastructure.Migrations.MigrationPlanExecutor.RunScopedMigration(Transition transition, MigrationPlan plan)\r\n at Umbraco.Cms.Infrastructure.Migrations.MigrationPlanExecutor.RunMigrationPlan(MigrationPlan plan, String fromState)","@tr":"d3a1de11ed5b05eef87f1e10079c8949","@sp":"a2695d82260ee0c9","PlanName":"Umbraco.Core","TargetState":"{1A0FBC8A-6FC6-456C-805C-B94816B2E570}","SourceContext":"Umbraco.Cms.Infrastructure.Migrations.MigrationPlanExecutor","ActionId":"f06b3722-d672-410b-bf53-f9d7d30a7a2e","ActionName":"Umbraco.Cms.Api.Management.Controllers.Upgrade.AuthorizeUpgradeController.Authorize (Umbraco.Cms.Api.Management)","RequestId":"4000005c-0009-f200-b63f-84710c7967bb","RequestPath":"/umbraco/management/api/v1/upgrade/authorize","ProcessId":33468,"ProcessName":"iisexpress","ThreadId":66,"ApplicationId":"e94d8b58a39a5a62268994206f4ec81afe734fee","MachineName":"ALEX-LAPTOP","Log4NetLevel":"ERROR","HttpRequestId":"ee0729b9-8a18-48fa-9104-d526de1a5e60","HttpRequestNumber":9,"HttpSessionId":"a3a7cb67-0fa6-ff20-19bb-a4a31b67a0e3"} {"@t":"2025-07-18T02:52:00.3872369Z","@mt":"Database configuration failed","@l":"Error","@x":"System.Text.Json.JsonException: Expected start object\r\n at Umbraco.Cms.Infrastructure.Serialization.JsonBlockValueConverter.Read(Utf8JsonReader& reader, Type typeToConvert, JsonSerializerOptions options)\r\n at System.Text.Json.Serialization.JsonConverter1.ReadAsObject(Utf8JsonReader& reader, Type typeToConvert, JsonSerializerOptions options)\r\n at System.Text.Json.Serialization.Converters.CastingConverter1.Read(Utf8JsonReader& reader, Type typeToConvert, JsonSerializerOptions options)\r\n at System.Text.Json.Serialization.JsonConverter1.TryRead(Utf8JsonReader& reader, Type typeToConvert, JsonSerializerOptions options, ReadStack& state, T& value, Boolean& isPopulatedValue)\r\n at System.Text.Json.Serialization.JsonConverter1.ReadCore(Utf8JsonReader& reader, T& value, JsonSerializerOptions options, ReadStack& state)\r\n at System.Text.Json.Serialization.Metadata.JsonTypeInfo1.Deserialize(Utf8JsonReader& reader, ReadStack& state)\r\n at System.Text.Json.JsonSerializer.ReadFromSpan[TValue](ReadOnlySpan1 utf8Json, JsonTypeInfo1 jsonTypeInfo, Nullable1 actualByteCount)\r\n at System.Text.Json.JsonSerializer.ReadFromSpan[TValue](ReadOnlySpan1 json, JsonTypeInfo1 jsonTypeInfo)\r\n at System.Text.Json.JsonSerializer.Deserialize[TValue](String json, JsonSerializerOptions options)\r\n at Umbraco.Cms.Infrastructure.Serialization.SystemTextJsonSerializerBase.Deserialize[T](String input)\r\n at Umbraco.Cms.Core.Models.Blocks.BlockEditorDataConverter2.Deserialize(String json)\r\n at Umbraco.Cms.Core.PropertyEditors.BlockEditorValues2.DeserializeAndClean(Object propertyValue)\r\n at Umbraco.Cms.Core.PropertyEditors.BlockEditorPropertyValueEditor2.ParseBlockValue(Object value)\r\n at Umbraco.Cms.Core.PropertyEditors.BlockEditorPropertyValueEditor2.GetReferences(Object value)\r\n at System.Linq.Enumerable.SelectManySingleSelectorIterator2.MoveNext()\r\n at Umbraco.Cms.Core.PropertyEditors.DataValueReferenceFactoryCollection.GetReferencesEnumerable(IDataEditor dataEditor, IEnumerable1 values)+MoveNext()\r\n at System.Collections.Generic.HashSet1.UnionWith(IEnumerable1 other)\r\n at System.Collections.Generic.HashSet1..ctor(IEnumerable1 collection, IEqualityComparer1 comparer)\r\n at System.Linq.Enumerable.ToHashSet[TSource](IEnumerable1 source, IEqualityComparer1 comparer)\r\n at System.Linq.Enumerable.ToHashSet[TSource](IEnumerable1 source)\r\n at Umbraco.Cms.Core.PropertyEditors.DataValueReferenceFactoryCollection.GetReferences(IDataEditor dataEditor, IEnumerable1 values)\r\n at Umbraco.Cms.Core.PropertyEditors.DataValueReferenceFactoryCollection.GetAllReferences(IPropertyCollection properties, PropertyEditorCollection propertyEditors)\r\n at Umbraco.Cms.Infrastructure.Persistence.Repositories.Implement.ContentRepositoryBase3.PersistRelations(TEntity entity)\r\n at Umbraco.Cms.Infrastructure.Persistence.Repositories.Implement.DocumentRepository.PersistUpdatedItem(IContent entity)\r\n at Umbraco.Cms.Core.Cache.DefaultRepositoryCachePolicy2.Update(TEntity entity, Action1 persistUpdated)\r\n at Umbraco.Cms.Infrastructure.Persistence.Repositories.Implement.EntityRepositoryBase2.Save(TEntity entity)\r\n at Umbraco.Cms.Core.Services.ContentService.SaveBlueprint(IContent content, Int32 userId)\r\n at Umbraco.Cms.Infrastructure.Migrations.Upgrade.V_14_0_0.MoveDocumentBlueprintsToFolders.Migrate()\r\n at Umbraco.Cms.Infrastructure.Migrations.MigrationBase.Run()\r\n at Umbraco.Cms.Infrastructure.Migrations.MigrationPlanExecutor.RunMigration(Type migrationType, MigrationContext context)\r\n at Umbraco.Cms.Infrastructure.Migrations.MigrationPlanExecutor.RunScopedMigration(Transition transition, MigrationPlan plan)\r\n at Umbraco.Cms.Infrastructure.Migrations.MigrationPlanExecutor.RunMigrationPlan(MigrationPlan plan, String fromState)”,“@tr”:“d3a1de11ed5b05eef87f1e10079c8949”,“@sp”:“a2695d82260ee0c9”,“SourceContext”:“Umbraco.Cms.Infrastructure.Migrations.Install.DatabaseBuilder”,“ActionId”:“f06b3722-d672-410b-bf53-f9d7d30a7a2e”,“ActionName”:“Umbraco.Cms.Api.Management.Controllers.Upgrade.AuthorizeUpgradeController.Authorize (Umbraco.Cms.Api.Management)”,“RequestId”:“4000005c-0009-f200-b63f-84710c7967bb”,“RequestPath”:“/umbraco/management/api/v1/upgrade/authorize”,“ProcessId”:33468,“ProcessName”:“iisexpress”,“ThreadId”:66,“ApplicationId”:“e94d8b58a39a5a62268994206f4ec81afe734fee”,“MachineName”:“ALEX-LAPTOP”,“Log4NetLevel”:“ERROR”,“HttpRequestId”:“ee0729b9-8a18-48fa-9104-d526de1a5e60”,“HttpRequestNumber”:9,“HttpSessionId”:“a3a7cb67-0fa6-ff20-19bb-a4a31b67a0e3”}
{“@t”:“2025-07-18T02:52:00.3872531Z”,“@mt”:“Failed {StepName}, with the message: {Message}”,“@l”:“Error”,“@tr”:“d3a1de11ed5b05eef87f1e10079c8949”,“@sp”:“a2695d82260ee0c9”,“StepName”:“DatabaseUpgradeStep”,“Message”:“The database failed to upgrade. ERROR: The database configuration failed with the following message: Expected start object\n Please check log file for additional information (can be found in ‘LoggingSettings.Directory’)”,“SourceContext”:“Umbraco.Cms.Core.Services.Installer.UpgradeService”,“ActionId”:“f06b3722-d672-410b-bf53-f9d7d30a7a2e”,“ActionName”:“Umbraco.Cms.Api.Management.Controllers.Upgrade.AuthorizeUpgradeController.Authorize (Umbraco.Cms.Api.Management)”,“RequestId”:“4000005c-0009-f200-b63f-84710c7967bb”,“RequestPath”:“/umbraco/management/api/v1/upgrade/authorize”,“ProcessId”:33468,“ProcessName”:“iisexpress”,“ThreadId”:66,“ApplicationId”:“e94d8b58a39a5a62268994206f4ec81afe734fee”,“MachineName”:“ALEX-LAPTOP”,“Log4NetLevel”:“ERROR”,“HttpRequestId”:“ee0729b9-8a18-48fa-9104-d526de1a5e60”,“HttpRequestNumber”:9,“HttpSessionId”:“a3a7cb67-0fa6-ff20-19bb-a4a31b67a0e3”}

KevinJump · July 20, 2025, 10:55am

I don’t have any prior or insider knowlage here, but poking around the core source code i think that it is likely failing on updating a corrupt/unexpected block list or block grid item

the “Expected start object” would appear to be coming from the JsonBlockValueConverter :

github.com/umbraco/Umbraco-CMS

src/Umbraco.Infrastructure/Serialization/JsonBlockValueConverter.cs

3b04d54ea


      
          /// </summary>
          public class JsonBlockValueConverter : JsonConverter<BlockValue>
          {
              public override bool CanConvert(Type typeToConvert) => typeToConvert.IsAssignableTo(typeof(BlockValue));
          
              /// <inheritdoc />
              public override BlockValue Read(ref Utf8JsonReader reader, Type typeToConvert, JsonSerializerOptions options)
              {
                  if (reader.TokenType != JsonTokenType.StartObject)
                  {
                      throw new JsonException("Expected start object");
                  }
          
                  BlockValue? blockValue;
                  try
                  {
                      blockValue = (BlockValue?)Activator.CreateInstance(typeToConvert);
                  }
                  catch (Exception ex)
                  {
                      throw new JsonException($"Unable to create an instance of {nameof(BlockValue)} from type: {typeToConvert.FullName}. Please make sure the type has an default (parameterless) constructor. See the inner exception for more details.", ex);

the “database failed to upgrade” comes from the upgrade step:

github.com/umbraco/Umbraco-CMS

src/Umbraco.Infrastructure/Installer/Steps/DatabaseUpgradeStep.cs

3b04d54ea


      
          {
              _logger.LogInformation("Running 'Upgrade' service");
          
              var plan = new UmbracoPlan(_umbracoVersion);
              // TODO: Clear CSRF cookies with notification.
          
              DatabaseBuilder.Result? result = await _databaseBuilder.UpgradeSchemaAndDataAsync(plan).ConfigureAwait(false);
          
              if (result?.Success == false)
              {
                  return FailWithMessage("The database failed to upgrade. ERROR: " + result.Message);
              }
          
              return Success();
          }
          
          public Task<bool> RequiresExecutionAsync(InstallData model) => ShouldExecute();
          
          public Task<bool> RequiresExecutionAsync() => ShouldExecute();
          
          private Task<bool> ShouldExecute()

The upgrade step calls. UpgradeSchemaAndDataAsync and this runs through the migrations,

there are a couple of migrations in v15 that update block level things:

if you look in the logs you might get information on which migration step is actually failing, but i doubt you will get information on which of the blocks it is

you could try turning logging up to debug ?

it might shed some more light on it.

childg · July 20, 2025, 8:25pm

Thank you very much for your detailed response, Kevin.

I will try to turning logging to debug and see if I find any more details.

Sounds like it’s not gonna be easy to find the problematic block If not found, would you recommend any workarounds to get around this?

KevinJump · July 21, 2025, 9:20am

yeah not sure - again I’ve no real experience in it.

you could try exporting everything with uSync, then importing it to a new local site? if there is a broken block in their then in theory it will fail on the import into a new site - so the logs for usync’s import would point to it.

childg · July 22, 2025, 9:08pm

Thanks again! Great Idea.

I’ve been going through the pages and republishing the blockgrids’ contents after adding a space or adding/removing a BR (it’s not a huge site), to see if Umbraco somehow corrects the blocks’ problematic data. It doesn’t seem to correct the problem though

I will attempt to import a uSync into a clean v15 and see if it spits out more specific clues as to where the problematic block might be.

If anybody has any more ideas to find this issue, I’ll be happy to try them out.

Thanks

Myster · August 7, 2025, 12:57am

You could try deleting, all your content, if it then works try deleting half, if that doesn’t work …

Do a binary search

Keep in mind there may be many problem pages.