Overview

After upgrades or migrations (e.g., Docker or Newired version updates), you may encounter the following error when creating a new Journey:

ERROR: duplicate key value violates unique constraint "config_property_pkey"
Detail: Key (id)=(237) already exists.

Why This Happens

PostgreSQL uses a sequence to automatically generate unique IDs for primary key columns. In this case, the sequence responsible for generating values for:

journeys.config_property.id

has become out of sync.

This means:

• The sequence is attempting to reuse an ID that already exists in the table.

• PostgreSQL correctly rejects the insert to prevent duplicate primary keys.

• No data is corrupted.

• This is a standard sequence alignment issue that can occur after:

  • System upgrades

  • Database restores

  • Container recreation

  • Migrations

The fix simply requires realigning the sequence with the current maximum ID in the table.

Environment

• Deployment: On-prem
• Containerization: Docker
• Database: PostgreSQL 14.x
• Schema: journeys
• Table: config_property
• Sequence: journeys.seq_config_property

Resolution Steps

Step 1 – Identify the Database Container

Run:

docker ps

Look for the container named similar to:

newired-database

Copy the container ID.

Step 2 – Access the Database Container

Enter the container:

docker exec -it <container_id> bash

Switch to the postgres user:

su postgres

Start PostgreSQL:

psql

Step 3 – Re-align the Sequence

Execute the following query:

SELECT setval(
               'journeys.seq_config_property',
               (SELECT COALESCE(MAX(id), 0) FROM journeys.config_property),
               false
       );

What This Does

• Reads the current highest id value in journeys.config_property

• Resets the sequence to match that value

• Ensures the next generated ID will not reuse an existing one

Step 4 – If the Issue Persists

If the error still occurs, increase the sequence by one:

SELECT setval(
               'journeys.seq_config_property',
               (SELECT COALESCE(MAX(id), 0) FROM journeys.config_property) + 1,
               false
       );

This ensures the next generated ID is strictly greater than the current maximum.

Step 5 – Exit and Test

Exit PostgreSQL:

\q

Exit the container if needed:

exit

Retry creating a new Journey in Newired.

Important Notes

• This procedure does not delete or modify existing records.

• It only adjusts PostgreSQL’s internal auto-numbering counter.

• As a best practice, take a database backup before making changes in production environments.

Summary

This issue is caused by a PostgreSQL sequence falling out of sync after an upgrade or migration.
Realigning the sequence resolves the duplicate key error and restores normal Journey creation functionality.