Database and Migration Issues

This guide helps you troubleshoot database-related problems, migration errors, and data integrity issues with ShahiLandin.

Database Tables Missing

Symptom

Plugin activated but features don’t work, or errors mentioning missing tables.

Solutions

Problem 1: Tables Not Created During Activation

Error Message:
`
Table ‘wpshahilandinanalytics’ doesn’t exist
`

Solution 1 – Reactivate Plugin:

1. Go to Plugins page
2. Deactivate ShahiLandin
3. Wait 5 seconds
4. Activate ShahiLandin again
5. Check if tables were created

Solution 2 – Check Database Permissions:

6. Access phpMyAdmin
7. Click on your WordPress database
8. Check if user has CREATE TABLE permission
9. Grant permissions if missing (contact host if needed)

Solution 3 – Run Manual Migration:

10. Download run-migrations.php file from plugin folder
11. Upload to WordPress root directory (same level as wp-config.php)
12. Visit https://yoursite.com/run-migrations.php in browser
13. Follow on-screen instructions
14. Delete the file after completion (security)

Solution 4 – Use WP-CLI:
`bash
wp shahilandin migrate
`

Problem 2: Verify Tables Exist


Check if ShahiLandin tables exist in database:

Via phpMyAdmin:

15. Log into phpMyAdmin
16. Select your WordPress database
17. Look for these tables:

– wpshahilandinanalytics
– wpshahilandinexperiments
– wp_posts (standard WordPress table, used for landing pages)
– wp_postmeta (standard WordPress table, used for landing page meta)

Via WP-CLI:
`bash

List all tables


wp db tables –scope=all

Check specific table


wp db query “DESCRIBE wpshahilandinanalytics”
`

If tables are missing, proceed with manual migration above.

Migration Errors


Symptom


Errors during plugin update or database migration.

Solutions


Problem 1: Migration Script Timeout


Error Message:
`
Maximum execution time of 30 seconds exceeded
`

Solution:

18. Increase PHP execution time in .htaccess:

`apache
phpvalue maxexecution_time 300
phpvalue maxinput_time 300
`

19. Or in wp-config.php:

`php
settimelimit(300);
`

20. Run migration again

Problem 2: Migration Already Running


Error Message:
`
Migration already in progress
`

Solution:

21. Previous migration may have crashed
22. Clear migration lock:

`bash
wp option delete shahilandinmigrationlock
`

23. Or via phpMyAdmin:

`sql
DELETE FROM wpoptions WHERE optionname = ‘shahilandinmigrationlock’;
`

24. Retry migration

Problem 3: Database Schema Mismatch


Symptom: Plugin expects different table structure than what exists.

Solution:

25. Check current schema version:

`bash
wp option get shahilandindbversion
`

26. Compare with plugin version
27. Force re-run migrations:

`bash
wp shahilandin migrate –force
`

28. Or reset and rebuild:

`sql
— CAUTION: This deletes ALL ShahiLandin data
DROP TABLE IF EXISTS wpshahilandinanalytics;
DROP TABLE IF EXISTS wpshahilandinexperiments;
DELETE FROM wpoptions WHERE optionname LIKE ‘shahilandin_%’;
`
Then reactivate plugin to recreate tables.

Problem 4: Foreign Key Constraints


Error Message:
`
Cannot add foreign key constraint
`

Solution:

29. Usually caused by inconsistent storage engines
30. Check table engines:

`sql
SELECT TABLE_NAME, ENGINE
FROM information_schema.TABLES
WHERE TABLESCHEMA = ‘yourdatabase_name’
AND TABLENAME LIKE ‘wpshahilandin%’;
`

31. Ensure all tables use InnoDB:

`sql
ALTER TABLE wpshahilandinanalytics ENGINE=InnoDB;
ALTER TABLE wpshahilandinexperiments ENGINE=InnoDB;
`

Data Loss Issues


Symptom


Landing pages, analytics data, or experiments disappeared.

Solutions


Problem 1: Landing Pages Deleted


Solution 1 – Check Trash:

32. Go to Landing Pages
33. Click Trash link at top
34. Select pages to restore
35. Click Restore

Solution 2 – Check Database:
`sql
— Find trashed landing pages
SELECT ID, posttitle, poststatus
FROM wp_posts
WHERE posttype = ‘shahilanding’
AND post_status = ‘trash’;

— Restore from trash
UPDATE wp_posts
SET post_status = ‘publish’
WHERE ID = ;
`

Solution 3 – Restore from Backup:

36. If you have database backup, restore it
37. Use tools like UpdraftPlus or BackWPup
38. Or contact hosting provider for backup restoration

Problem 2: Analytics Data Missing


Symptom: Historical analytics data disappeared.

Solution:

39. Check if data retention policy deleted old data:

– Settings → Analytics → Data Retention Period

40. Query database to verify:

`sql
— Check if any analytics data exists
SELECT COUNT(*) FROM wpshahilandinanalytics;

— Check date range of data
SELECT MIN(createdat) as oldest, MAX(createdat) as newest
FROM wpshahilandinanalytics;
`

41. If truly deleted:

– Check database backups
– Data may be in exported CSV/JSON files
– Contact support with backup if available

Problem 3: Experiments Lost


Solution:
`sql
— Check experiments table
SELECT * FROM wpshahilandinexperiments;

— Check if experiments are “soft deleted”
SELECT * FROM wpshahilandinexperiments WHERE deleted_at IS NOT NULL;

— Restore soft-deleted experiment
UPDATE wpshahilandinexperiments
SET deleted_at = NULL
WHERE id = ;
`

Database Corruption


Symptom


Errors indicating corrupted tables or data inconsistencies.

Solutions


Problem 1: Table Crashed


Error Message:
`
Table ‘wpshahilandinanalytics’ is marked as crashed and should be repaired
`

Solution 1 – Automatic Repair:

42. Add to wp-config.php:

`php
define(‘WPALLOWREPAIR’, true);
`

43. Visit: https://yoursite.com/wp-admin/maint/repair.php
44. Click Repair Database
45. Remove the define line after repair

Solution 2 – Manual Repair via phpMyAdmin:

46. Go to phpMyAdmin
47. Select your database
48. Check corrupted table
49. Click Operations tab
50. Click Repair table

Solution 3 – WP-CLI:
`bash
wp db repair
`

Problem 2: Orphaned Meta Data


Symptom: Database bloated with meta data for deleted posts.

Solution:
Clean up orphaned data:
`sql
— Count orphaned meta
SELECT COUNT(*) FROM wp_postmeta
WHERE postid NOT IN (SELECT ID FROM wpposts);

— Delete orphaned meta (CAUTION: Backup first)
DELETE FROM wp_postmeta
WHERE postid NOT IN (SELECT ID FROM wpposts);

— Optimize table after cleanup
OPTIMIZE TABLE wp_postmeta;
`

Problem 3: Duplicate Entries


Symptom: Duplicate analytics events or experiments.

Solution:
`sql
— Find duplicate analytics entries
SELECT postid, createdat, COUNT(*) as duplicates
FROM wpshahilandinanalytics
GROUP BY postid, createdat
HAVING COUNT(*) > 1;

— Remove duplicates (keeps one, deletes rest)
DELETE t1 FROM wpshahilandinanalytics t1
INNER JOIN wpshahilandinanalytics t2
WHERE t1.id > t2.id
AND t1.postid = t2.postid
AND t1.createdat = t2.createdat;
`

Import/Export Issues


Symptom


Cannot import or export landing pages or data.

Solutions


Problem 1: Export Timeout


Symptom: Export process hangs or times out with large datasets.

Solution 1 – Export in Batches:
`bash

Export specific date range


wp shahilandin export –from=2024-01-01 –to=2024-03-31 –format=csv > Q1-2024.csv

Export specific landing page


wp shahilandin export –post-id=123 –format=json > landing-123.json
`

Solution 2 – Increase PHP Limits:
`apache

In .htaccess


phpvalue memorylimit 512M
phpvalue maxexecution_time 300
`

Solution 3 – Direct Database Export:
`bash

Export via mysqldump


mysqldump -u username -p databasename wpshahilandinanalytics > analyticsbackup.sql
`

Problem 2: Import Fails


Symptom: Importing landing pages or data results in errors.

Solution 1 – Check File Format:

51. Ensure import file is valid JSON or CSV
52. Validate JSON: https://jsonlint.com/
53. Check CSV has proper headers

Solution 2 – Check File Size:

54. Split large files into smaller chunks
55. Import in batches

Solution 3 – Fix Encoding Issues:
`bash

Convert file to UTF-8


iconv -f ISO-8859-1 -t UTF-8 import.csv > import-utf8.csv
`

Solution 4 – Import via WP-CLI:
`bash

Import landing pages


wp shahilandin import landing-pages.json

Import with dry-run first


wp shahilandin import landing-pages.json –dry-run
`

Performance Issues


Symptom


Database queries slow, admin dashboard takes long to load.

Solutions


Problem 1: Missing Indexes


Solution:
Add indexes to improve query performance:
`sql
— Analytics table indexes
ALTER TABLE wpshahilandinanalytics
ADD INDEX idxpostid (post_id);

ALTER TABLE wpshahilandinanalytics
ADD INDEX idxcreatedat (created_at);

ALTER TABLE wpshahilandinanalytics
ADD INDEX idx_goal (goal);

ALTER TABLE wpshahilandinanalytics
ADD INDEX idxexperimentid (experiment_id);

— Composite index for common queries
ALTER TABLE wpshahilandinanalytics
ADD INDEX idxpostcreated (postid, createdat);
`

Problem 2: Large Analytics Table


Symptom: wpshahilandinanalytics table has millions of rows.

Solution 1 – Archive Old Data:
`sql
— Export old data before deletion
SELECT * FROM wpshahilandinanalytics
WHERE createdat < DATESUB(NOW(), INTERVAL 6 MONTH)
INTO OUTFILE ‘/tmp/analytics_archive.csv’;

— Delete old data
DELETE FROM wpshahilandinanalytics
WHERE createdat < DATESUB(NOW(), INTERVAL 6 MONTH);

— Optimize table
OPTIMIZE TABLE wpshahilandinanalytics;
`

Solution 2 – Enable Auto-Cleanup:

56. Go to Settings → Analytics
57. Set Data Retention Period: 90 days (or as needed)
58. Old data automatically deleted daily

Solution 3 – Partition Table (Advanced):
`sql
— Partition by date for better performance
ALTER TABLE wpshahilandinanalytics
PARTITION BY RANGE (YEAR(created_at)) (
PARTITION p2023 VALUES LESS THAN (2024),
PARTITION p2024 VALUES LESS THAN (2025),
PARTITION p2025 VALUES LESS THAN (2026),
PARTITION pmax VALUES LESS THAN MAXVALUE
);
`

Problem 3: Slow Query Log


Solution:
Identify slow queries:
`sql
— Enable slow query log (if not already)
SET GLOBAL slowquerylog = ‘ON’;
SET GLOBAL longquerytime = 2; — Log queries over 2 seconds

— Check slow queries
SHOW GLOBAL STATUS LIKE ‘Slow_queries’;
`

Review slow query log and optimize identified queries.

Character Encoding Issues


Symptom


Special characters display as �, or foreign language text garbled.

Solutions


Problem 1: Wrong Database Charset


Solution:
Convert database to UTF-8:
`sql
— Check current charset
SHOW TABLE STATUS WHERE Name = ‘wpshahilandinanalytics’;

— Convert to UTF-8
ALTER TABLE wpshahilandinanalytics
CONVERT TO CHARACTER SET utf8mb4 COLLATE utf8mb4unicodeci;

ALTER TABLE wpshahilandinexperiments
CONVERT TO CHARACTER SET utf8mb4 COLLATE utf8mb4unicodeci;
`

Problem 2: wp-config.php Charset Setting


Solution:
Ensure wp-config.php has correct charset:
`php
define(‘DB_CHARSET’, ‘utf8mb4’);
define(‘DBCOLLATE’, ‘utf8mb4unicode_ci’);
`

Problem 3: Existing Data with Wrong Encoding


Solution:
Fix existing data:
`sql
— Update specific field
UPDATE wp_postmeta
SET metavalue = CONVERT(CAST(CONVERT(metavalue USING latin1) AS BINARY) USING utf8mb4)
WHERE metakey = ‘shahilandin_html’;
`

Multisite Database Issues


Symptom


Issues specific to WordPress Multisite installations.

Solutions


Problem 1: Tables on Wrong Blog


Symptom: Plugin activated but tables missing on subsite.

Solution:
In multisite, each blog has separate tables:

• Blog 1: wpshahilandinanalytics
• Blog 2: wp2shahilandin_analytics
• Blog 3: wp3shahilandin_analytics

Network activate plugin to create tables for all sites:

• Go to Network Admin → Plugins
• Click Network Activate on ShahiLandin

Problem 2: Shared Analytics Across Network


Symptom: Want to aggregate analytics from all subsites.

Solution:
Create custom query across all blog tables:
`sql
— Get analytics from all sites
SELECT * FROM wpshahilandinanalytics
UNION ALL
SELECT * FROM wp2shahilandin_analytics
UNION ALL
SELECT * FROM wp3shahilandin_analytics;
`

Or use WP-CLI to iterate:
`bash

Export analytics from all sites


wp site list –field=url | xargs -I {} wp –url={} shahilandin export
`

Backup and Restore


Creating Backups


Full Database Backup:


`bash

Backup entire database


mysqldump -u username -p databasename > fullbackup.sql

Backup only ShahiLandin data


mysqldump -u username -p database_name \
wpshahilandinanalytics \
wpshahilandinexperiments \
wp_posts \
wp_postmeta \
> shahilandin_backup.sql
`

Table-Specific Backup:


`bash

Backup analytics only


mysqldump -u username -p databasename wpshahilandinanalytics > analyticsbackup.sql

Backup with compression


mysqldump -u username -p database_name | gzip > backup.sql.gz
`

Using WP-CLI:


`bash

Export database


wp db export shahilandin_backup.sql

Export specific tables


wp db export shahilandinbackup.sql –tables=wpshahilandinanalytics,wpshahilandin_experiments
`

Restoring Backups


Full Restore:


`bash

Restore from SQL file


mysql -u username -p databasename < fullbackup.sql

Or via WP-CLI


wp db import full_backup.sql
`

Selective Restore:


`sql
— Restore only analytics data
SOURCE analytics_backup.sql;

— Or import specific table
mysql -u username -p databasename < analyticsbackup.sql
`

Database Optimization


Regular Maintenance Tasks


Daily Tasks:


`sql
— Clean up old analytics (if retention enabled)
DELETE FROM wpshahilandinanalytics
WHERE createdat < DATESUB(NOW(), INTERVAL 90 DAY);

— Clean up auto-drafts
DELETE FROM wp_posts
WHERE posttype = ‘shahilanding’
AND post_status = ‘auto-draft’
AND postmodified < DATESUB(NOW(), INTERVAL 7 DAY);
`

Weekly Tasks:


`sql
— Optimize tables
OPTIMIZE TABLE wpshahilandinanalytics;
OPTIMIZE TABLE wpshahilandinexperiments;
OPTIMIZE TABLE wp_posts;
OPTIMIZE TABLE wp_postmeta;

— Analyze tables for query optimization
ANALYZE TABLE wpshahilandinanalytics;
ANALYZE TABLE wpshahilandinexperiments;
`

Monthly Tasks:


`sql
— Check for corrupted tables
CHECK TABLE wpshahilandinanalytics;
CHECK TABLE wpshahilandinexperiments;

— Repair if needed
REPAIR TABLE wpshahilandinanalytics;
`

Automated Maintenance via WP-CLI


Create a cron job:
`bash

Daily optimization script


0 3 * wp db optimize

Weekly cleanup script


0 2 0 wp shahilandin cleanup –days=90
`

Getting Help


If database issues persist:

• Backup first before any destructive operations
• Collect information:

– Database size: wp db size
– Table status: wp db tables --scope=all
– Database version: wp db cli version
– Error messages from debug.log

• Export schema:

`bash
mysqldump -u username -p –no-data database_name > schema.sql
`

• Check table integrity:

`sql
CHECK TABLE wpshahilandinanalytics;
CHECK TABLE wpshahilandinexperiments;
`

• Contact support with:

– Database error messages
– Table structure (schema)
– Steps to reproduce issue
– Backup of affected data (if possible)

—

Related Articles:

• Installation and Activation Issues
• Performance Issues
• Cache and Plugin Conflicts