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Version: 4.x

fix-database-table-structure-not-up-to-date-before-update

Errors Reported​

When updating Joomla! the database table structure has to be up to date before the process can start.

The Pre-Update Check for Joomla complains if this is not the case.

Joomla! 4 - Pre-Update Check - database table structure not up to date

But when you go to Administrator → System → Maintenance → Database, there is no entry available.

Versions Affected​

General Information

This was reported in any Joomla! 4.x versions.

What is the Cause​

This is caused by an empty #__schemas table in the database. Most likely this occurs when the Joomla! instance is not installed by the official Joomla! installer but through a customized script which did not fill in all required data.

How to Fix​

You can fix this by adding the missing value to the table. First, you need the ID from Joomla!. Go to the #__extensions table via phpMyAdmin (or another database client). Search for name=files_joomla and write down the ID (in our case 211).

Second, you need to know the latest SQL script which is installed. Go to administrator/components/com_admin/sql/updates/mysql and get the file name with the highest version. In this example, assume 4.0.3-2021-09-05.sql is the file name with the highest version. Now you have to add this in your insert query as the second value:

INSERT INTO `#__schemas` (`extension_id`, `version_id`) VALUES
(211, '4.0.3-2021-09-05');

or for PostgreSQL:

INSERT INTO "#__schemas" ("extension_id", "version_id") VALUES
(211, '4.0.3-2021-09-05');

Replace #__ with your database prefix (see Global Configuration) before running the statements.

Then go to Administrator → System → Maintenance → Database and fix the tables.

Now the update should work as expected.