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Upgrading Workspaces with a New Version of FME Workbench

Skyler Li
Skyler Li
  • Updated

Introduction

When upgrading to a newer version of FME Form (Workbench), it is not always clear whether existing workspaces also need to be upgraded. FME maintains strong backward compatibility, allowing most workspaces created in older versions to continue running successfully in newer releases. In many cases, upgrading workspaces is optional. However, upgrading may be required to access new functionality, take advantage of format improvements, or maintain compatibility with newer technologies.

This article explains what to do before upgrading workspaces, when upgrading is recommended, and how to upgrade workspaces.

 

Before Upgrading Workspaces

We work hard to make FME backward compatible between release versions. If you upgrade from one of the recent versions of FME Form and your workflows run successfully, within personal and functional standards, upgrading your workspace is sometimes not needed. General performance improvements can still be achieved by upgrading FME Form, even without upgrading individual transformers.

We recommend following these steps after upgrading FME Form:

  1. Open and run your existing workspace in the newly upgraded version of FME Workbench.
  2. If the workspace runs successfully and produces the expected results, upgrading the workspace is likely unnecessary unless newer functionality provided by updated formats or transformers is required.
  3. If the workspace uses web or database connections and is intended to be executed in FME Flow, we also recommend publishing the workspace and running it in FME Flow as a quick validation test.

Before upgrading your workspaces, please note that forward compatibility, which is the ability to open and run a newer workspace in an older version of FME, is not guaranteed. As FME continues to evolve, there is a strong possibility that an upgraded workspace will not open in older versions of FME.

In such cases, you may see a message similar to:

“Saved workspace may not open in older versions of FME Workbench.”

This prompt also provides the option to save a backup copy or overwrite the existing file. We recommend always creating a backup of the original workspaces before upgrading, as upgrades are not reversible. Please refer to the FME Versions and Workspace Compatibility article for more information.

 

When Should I Upgrade My Workspaces?

Upgrading workspaces is not always necessary, however, there are situations where it should be considered. Below are some common reasons to upgrade workspaces.

Significant Version Upgrades of FME Form

Upgrading FME Form across multiple release years (for example, from 2020.x to 2025.x) typically requires more extensive testing and may involve updating workspaces.

Using New Features and Formats

FME continues to introduce new features and support additional data formats to improve the user experience. Detailed information is available on the Product Updates and Change Log pages. Workspaces created and saved in older versions are generally supported in newer versions of FME Form. However, to take advantage of new features and format-specific improvements, you may need to upgrade transformers, readers, and writers. 

For example, if a new parameter is introduced to a reader in FME 2025.x, workspaces that use an older version of that reader will not have access to the new parameter, even when opened in FME Workbench 2025.x. In this case, the reader must be upgraded in FME Workbench 2025.x to access the new reader parameter.

Python Version Considerations

In general, Python code should continue to run in newer interpreters unless it relies on deprecated features or crosses a major Python version boundary. Thorough testing is recommended when upgrading across Python versions.

Supported Python Versions

  • FME 2025.2: Python 3.9–3.13
  • FME 2026.1: Python 3.10–3.14 (Python 3.9 is end-of-life)

Please check the FME and Python Version article for details.

ArcPy Version Considerations

If your workspace uses ArcPy:

  • FME 2025.2: Python 3.9–3.13 supported
  • FME 2026.1: ArcPy support is to be determined

ArcPy compatibility depends on Esri’s Python environment, additional testing is recommended when upgrading FME versions. We recommend reviewing the FME and Esri Versions and Compatibility article for additional information.

Java Version Considerations

For workspaces that rely on custom Java drivers, plugins, or other Java-based components, the size of the FME version jump may be important.

  • Upgrading from FME 2022 or older to FME 2023 or newer involves a Java runtime change from Java 8 to Java 17.
  • Java generally provides strong backward compatibility, so most custom components continue to work without modification.
  • However, if issues arise with a custom Java driver or plugin after upgrading, reviewing and upgrading that component should be considered.

Custom Transformers

For workspaces that use custom transformers, we recommend that you: 

  • Verify compatibility with the new FME version.
  • Check for deprecated parameters or transformers.
  • Test upgraded workspaces carefully.

Custom transformers may require manual updates, particularly if they rely on older transformer versions or embedded Python code. Please note that updating a linked custom transformer is handled through a centralized .fmx. However, embedded custom transformers must be updated separately in each workspace where they are used. Please refer to the FME Workbench Documentation for detailed information on custom transformers.

 

How to Upgrade Workspaces

Upgrading a workspace involves updating its canvas objects to align with the versions supported by the current FME release. This may include the following steps.

We recommend always creating a backup of the original workspaces before upgrading, as upgrades are not reversible.

Upgrading Transformers, Readers and Writers

Before upgrading, we recommend reviewing any changes made to the transformers. Please follow the documentation on Upgrading Transformers for detailed steps. Bulk-upgrade of all transformers is supported now. Please check the Upgrading Multiple Transformers article for more information. 

Please also remember to update parameters for newer transformer, reader, or writer versions.

Upgrading Packages

Upgrading packages is often required to access new functionality or improvements. For example, using new features like the ArcGISOnlineConnector in the Esri ArcGIS Connector Package requires upgrading that package in your workspace.

  • Packages need to be upgraded for FME Form and FME Flow separately to capture new or improved package functionality. Refer to Updating an FME Package section of the Introduction to FME Packages article for detailed steps.

  • Test package upgrades carefully, especially if they are shared across multiple workspaces.

     

Test Before Running in Production

Before deploying upgraded workspaces to production, we recommend that you:

  • Test with representative data.
  • Validate outputs carefully.
  • Confirm performance and behavior.
  • Retain backups of the original workspaces and connections.

  • Consider publishing upgraded workspaces to FME Flow to validate upgraded transformers and connections.

     

Additional Resources

Updating to a Newer FME Version

Best Practices for Upgrading FME Flow


 

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