Every now and then, new functionality of bug fixes require updates to the database. While in the administration section of your site, you might see a warning like the following:

If so, click the "status report" link, which will take you to a screen showing the things that are missing or incorrectly setup with your site. One of them might be the following warning:

Click the "database update script" link. Note that if you see an 'access denied' error, you will have to login as the administrator user, which is the first user on the system.

Once you click that link, you will see a screen like the following:

In step to, the update instructions recommend backing up your database. We have instructions on how to backup the database for your site before proceeding.

Click the "run the database script" link. You will then see a screen like the following:

The "Select versions" link will drop down a list of modules that may or may not need updates. It is not recommended to change any of the settings there, but it serves as a heads up as to what will be updated.

Click the "Update" button. You should see a progress indicator showing you what percentage of updates are completed. Do not close your window while the update is proceeding.