Fishbowl 2026.1: the Java 21 era begins, and four things to check before you upgrade

Fishbowl shipped version 2026.1 (26.1), the first release of the year and the start of the Java 21 generation. The feature list is short this round. The story is what the platform shift means for your upgrade path.

Before you upgrade: four things to check

Upgrading from 2025.9 or older? Plan a coordinated install. The server must be updated manually first, then clients. The client detects the version mismatch and walks users through updating themselves, but this is not the usual one-click auto-update. Coming from 2025.11 or later, the normal process applies.
MySQL 5.7 is no longer supported (as of 2025.12). If you’re still on 5.7, the move to 8.0 is part of the upgrade process and it’s less dramatic than it sounds: under the hood it’s a backup and restore, and the installer walks you through it. Just take your own backup first and schedule the time; most customers hit this because they need a newer build for other reasons and the database move comes along for the ride.
The plugin notice is about Fishbowl’s own plugins. What stopped being supported at 2025.11 is Fishbowl’s first-party plugins, and that’s what the warning covers. It doesn’t mean everything bolted onto your Fishbowl is dead: custom integrations built on the REST or Legacy API keep working fine on 2026.1, and most third-party work we see falls in that camp. If you’re not sure which kind you have, find out before you upgrade, not after.
Fishbowl Anywhere users should hold at 2025.9. The plugin isn’t compatible with the Java 21 release yet; Fishbowl is actively working on it and says it will return in an upcoming version.

What’s new

Channel-specific status mapping for Fishbowl Commerce. A scheduled script can now override status-import behavior per e-commerce channel, so orders from one channel can be fulfilled automatically while others follow the default mapping. It’s enabled through Fishbowl Support rather than a module option.
ACH-only Fishbowl Payments. Merchants with only an ACH Merchant ID can now run the payments integration; payment links show ACH as the sole option.

Fixes worth noting

Purchase Order CSV imports now enforce the client’s cost rules. Credit-return lines with positive costs and purchase lines with negative costs get corrected on import instead of flowing through to your accounting export wrong. If you bulk-import POs, this one protects your books.
MyFishbowl module access rights actually work now. Previously every user could see the module regardless of settings.
Multi-currency PO entry fixed for comma-decimal currencies. Parts with vendor part numbers can again be added to POs, and costs edited in the vendor’s home currency.
MRP’s “All Locations” option no longer assigns reorder points to inactive location groups.
The Calendar module works again in international databases across all view modes, without the client-restarting error in 7-day view.

If you want a second set of eyes on your upgrade path, especially the plugin-versus-integration question, get in touch.