This article covers one specific case. It applies only when the error names the column IsExpanded, and only after Microvellum has been run in Visual Studio debug or release mode on that machine. If your error names a different column, the cause described below is not your cause - see "If the error names a different column" at the end of this article.
Symptom
If you run Microvellum in Visual Studio debug or release mode, and thereafter update to a new compiled version of Microvellum, you may see an error when trying to open the report designer, open a work order, or various other functions that access the database in the compiled version.
The error is: "The column name is not valid. [ Node name (if any) = .Column name = IsExpanded]."
Cause
In this scenario the cause is an entry in the MicrovellumSystem.ApplicationVersion field of the MicrovellumFactory database. The program looks at this data to determine how to update the database. If you look at the data in that field, it will probably be a number higher than the actual software build you're running. For example, you may be running build 15.5.1308.640, while the data in the field ApplicationVersion is 15.5.1412.640.
Resolution
To eliminate the error, simply modify the "1412" in this example to be a number less than "1308" - which will cause the database to be correctly updated the next time the program is run.
ApplicationVersion is found in the MicrovellumSystem table of the MicrovellumFactory database.
If the error names a different column
An "invalid column name" error naming any column other than IsExpanded is a different problem, and changing ApplicationVersion will not fix it. In particular, if ApplicationVersion already matches your build, the version check is not your cause and there is nothing to correct there.
These errors most often appear after a database has been moved or restored - for example migrating a library to SQL Server. Note which of the following is true, because it narrows the cause considerably:
The error occurs in one Microvellum product but not another (for example in BSB but not OEM) while both connect to the same database. The database is serving one product correctly, so the schema and the SQL permissions are not the problem.
The error occurs at one specific action, such as saving product prompts, rather than on opening.
The error occurs on every product rather than on particular ones.
Open a support case with the exact column name from the error, the answers above, and your build number. Please do not change ApplicationVersion on a working database in an attempt to clear an error that names a different column.