Re-Migration From Livesite

[Echoes]

This is the normal situation in my current workflow when migrating i.e VM 2 to VM 3.x:

- I create a copy of the site on my production-server
- do the upgrades for Joomla!, components, plugins and VirtueMart here
- realise some changes for the customer...

This procedure normally takes one or more weeks until everything is right in the customers view. But in the meantime he probably changes or add some products, niew clients registered and take new orders etc. so that I need to re-migrate the database.

Do you prefer a better workflow?
If not, how is the best way to re-migrate the database?

Thanks for any hint!!

[jenkinhill]

Just updating VM? takes very little time!  Copy the live site and update VM on that, update any plugins to VM3 versions then check settings and template overrides. If layout/style changes are needed to the overrides for the client then make them. Once he/she is happy shut the live site and back it up. Update the VM on the live site,  update plugins, copy over and revised overrides and adjust settings if required.

The live site is shut down for less then half an hour as everything has been previously tested.

[GJC Web Design]

or if its been a while and there are a lot of changes between the sites I just shut the live
clone locally and switch everything off that may affect an update

update VM to 3
update joomla to 3

even if it goes horribly wrong you have a good set of J3/VM3 tables to drop into the new build
for joomla u only need the users