Hi guys I have 2 notifications for WooCommerce currently!

1) - WooCommerce Data Update – We need to update your store's database to the latest version.

2) - WooCommerce plugin update to version 2.6 ( current version 2.5 )

I am just worried about updating WooCommerce because I have a lot of products and have done a ton of work to sort all the products out!

My WordPress version is up to date.

Questions - I have accessed my wordpress site's cpanel and have zipped the entire folder and also I have saved a copy of my sites database in .sql format.

Is that suffice if something fails after the update?

If the update succeeds? Is there anything in WooCommerce I would have to configure?

Can I leave out WooCommerce updates forever? and would my e-commerce site run fine as I feel like everytime I update something goes wrong or am I just being paranoid?


You're damned if you do, and you're damned if you don't. But it's typically better to "do".

I have been working in WordPress support and development for a number of years now - and I can certainly say it's much better to keep everything up to date.

Wait a little bit (2 weeks or so) after major updates before making the change to allow time for maintenance updates to drop in case something was badly broken by the major release.

Most developers work hard to ensure backwards compatibility and with WooCommerce's glob of add-ons and millions of users I'm sure it's even more so the case there.

Yes, stuff can break, but you can't always know or even anticipate what. So be sure to read the changelogs, signup for newsletters, and follow the blogs of the most critical plugins running on your site (like WooCommerce). Stay in the loop, and there will be less surprises.

But in the case that something does get badly broken, you have a few options:

  1. Backup, backup, backup - before doing updates. Plugins like BackupBuddy, or VaultPress that automate the backup/restore process are definitely worth the effort or price in my opinion. Your backup should be sufficient, but may be harder to restore.

  2. Hire a developer from a site like http://wpfixit.com/

  3. Fight to fix the issue yourself (not recommended, especially if you're not techy)

As for your questions, it's difficult to answer as there are so many variables. There's no way for me to know if you'll be safe updating or not. But if you have a reliable backup system in place that makes restores easy to run, then you can have some confidence in that before pulling the trigger.

Lastly, I'd consider creating a staging site that mirrors your live site, where you can test updates before doing it on your actual live site.

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WooCommerce 2.6 brings major change in shipping module.

Shipping zones are introduced in WooCommerce 2.6 to bring more flexibility while configuring your shipping methods.

Legacy shipping methods (Flat Rate, International Flat Rate, Local Pickup and Delivery, and Free Shipping) are deprecated. So, it’s highly recommended to disable these and setting up new rates within shipping zones as soon as possible.

So, if you are selling physical goods (not downloadable software products), it's highly recommended to test your website using your backup site before upgrading. Also, it make sense to wait for future WooCommerce bug fix updates for 2.6 to ensure stability improvements.

If you want to explore more on how to setup shipping zones, this article should help.

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