Fishbowl Inventory and MySQL8 Upgrade Survival Guide

The latest version of Fishbowl Inventory Control software as of November 2025 is Fishbowl Advanced 25.9, which was released on September 16, 2025. This version includes major updates, such as simplified Java update processes in anticipation of the November 2025 Java 21 release, and ongoing compatibility improvements for MySQL 8.0 (database backend).

Key Lessons and Gotchas

If you've recently upgraded to the latest version of Fishbowl Inventory, you're not alone running into a string of compatibility surprises. Here are my top actionable findings and challenges, straight from the trenches, working with my clients:

• Custom Jasper Reports Needed Recompiling

  Any previously built, business-critical Jasper report files were rendered incompatible by the upgrade. The solution? All custom Jasper reports had to be recompiled by the Fishbowl team before they’d work with the upgraded system.

• New Jasper Files Must Go in the Correct Folder

  After recompiling, simply dropping Jasper files into Fishbowl wasn’t enough—they had to be placed in exactly the right directory structure, or Fishbowl wouldn’t recognize them.

• ODBC Bitness: Say Goodbye to 64-bit Drivers

  Users had to change their ODBC drivers from 64-bit to 32-bit, because the 64-bit version no longer works with the updated Fishbowl citing MySQL8. Attempting to use 64-bit drivers led to connection failures.

• Microsoft Excel Downgrade Required

  To maintain real-time connectivity, many users had to reinstall the 32-bit version of Excel, since only this version is compatible with the 32-bit ODBC drivers post-upgrade.

• Re-Establish ODBC Connections in Excel

  Every previous Excel connection may be invalidated. Connections had to be edited to use the new DSN name. No need to create new connections, instead simply update the connection definition so it points to your 32-bit ODBC DSN. You can find the new DSN name from the system tab of ODBC Data Source Administrator tool. (Ex: C:\Windows\SysWOW64\odbcad32.exe)

• Beware Stale Data and Port Confusion

  After the upgrade, some data retrieved from Fishbowl was the pre-upgrade data and outdated. The culprit? The port number was still set to 3305, connecting to an old database copy. The live, updated data resided under the same database name, but on port 3306. Many were surprised to learn Fishbowl was running two databases by the same name on different ports—one “archive” and one active.

  
  

Key Takeaway: Upgrading Fishbowl isn’t just about clicking an installer, it’s a full-stack exercise touching custom reporting, ODBC drivers, business apps like Excel, and even back-end database porting. Be prepared to coordinate with IT, recompile/relocate reports, adjust bitness on all your tools, and double-check database connections and port numbers before trusting your data.

Tool Tip: Consider exploring a tool called DBeaver, its Community Edition is free and provides an alternative and user-friendly access to the Fishbowl database and its tables. DBeaver features an excellent SQL query editor that allows you to run queries and view results in real time, with a simple option to export results to a CSV file. One particularly useful feature is its graphical Entity Relationship Diagram (ERD), which visually maps the connections among your tables for easier understanding and navigation. Best of all, DBeaver uses JDBC to communicate directly with the MySQL database behind Fishbowl, offering robust compatibility and performance without the bitness issue.

Feature	Description (Value for Fishbowl Users)
Free Community Edition	No cost. Accessible for all Fishbowl users and small businesses
SQL Query Editor	Powerful editor for writing, running, and testing complex SQL queries
Real-Time Results Display	Instantly see query results. Ideal for data validation and analysis
Export Results to CSV	Easily export query results for integration with Excel, reporting, etc.
Entity Relationship Diagram (ERD)	Visualize database tables and relationships for better understanding
JDBC Connectivity	Connects reliably to Fishbowl’s MySQL backend using JDBC

In addition, the tool also has these other useful features that I have not yet explored:

Feature	Description (value for Fishbowl users)
Data Browse/Data Edit	Explore and edit DB content visually
Multi-DB Support	Work with diverse DB systems via single UI
Advanced Export/Import	Export/import many formats, not just CSV
Data Visualization	Chart/query results inside DBeaver UI
Snippet Library/Saved Queries	Organize, reuse SQL code efficiently
SQL Autocomplete/Highlight	Easier, safer query writing
SSH/SSL Secure Connections	Access secure/remote DBs, even if Fishbowl is cloud-hosted
Execution Plans/Perf Tools	Diagnose, optimize query speed
Multi-Tab/Session Management	Run multiple workflows at once

Aju John

ADS Consultancy, LLC.

11/12/2025.