Methods, systems, and apparatus for migrating a database of a workflow processing system from a current version to a new version by serializing the data into serialized objects and then deserializing the objects into the new version of the database. The current version of the database may include elements of data associated with base features and extension features of the workflow processing system. The new version of the database is initially generated to include only base features associated with a new version of the programmed instructions of the system. Deserializing the serialized objects into the new version of the database is effective to merge the object types of the information in the current version of the database into the object type of the new version of the database.