diff --git a/jupyterhub/app.py b/jupyterhub/app.py
index b34ef2ac..3a2ce80c 100644
--- a/jupyterhub/app.py
+++ b/jupyterhub/app.py
@@ -12,7 +12,6 @@ import logging
 from operator import itemgetter
 import os
 import re
-import shutil
 import signal
 import sys
 from textwrap import dedent
@@ -23,7 +22,6 @@ if sys.version_info[:2] < (3, 3):
 
 from jinja2 import Environment, FileSystemLoader
 
-from sqlalchemy import create_engine
 from sqlalchemy.exc import OperationalError
 
 from tornado.httpclient import AsyncHTTPClient
@@ -167,39 +165,11 @@ class UpgradeDB(Application):
     aliases = common_aliases
     classes = []
 
-    def _backup_db_file(self, db_file):
-        """Backup a database file"""
-        if not os.path.exists(db_file):
-            return
-
-        timestamp = datetime.now().strftime('.%Y-%m-%d-%H%M%S')
-        backup_db_file = db_file + timestamp
-        for i in range(1, 10):
-            if not os.path.exists(backup_db_file):
-                break
-            backup_db_file = '{}.{}.{}'.format(db_file, timestamp, i)
-        if os.path.exists(backup_db_file):
-            self.exit("backup db file already exists: %s" % backup_db_file)
-
-        self.log.info("Backing up %s => %s", db_file, backup_db_file)
-        shutil.copy(db_file, backup_db_file)
-
     def start(self):
         hub = JupyterHub(parent=self)
         hub.load_config_file(hub.config_file)
         self.log = hub.log
-        if (hub.db_url.startswith('sqlite:///')):
-            db_file = hub.db_url.split(':///', 1)[1]
-            self._backup_db_file(db_file)
-        self.log.info("Upgrading %s", hub.db_url)
-        # run check-db-revision first
-        engine = create_engine(hub.db_url)
-        try:
-            orm.check_db_revision(engine)
-        except orm.DatabaseSchemaMismatch:
-            # ignore mismatch error because that's what we are here for!
-            pass
-        dbutil.upgrade(hub.db_url)
+        dbutil.upgrade_if_needed(hub.db_url, log=self.log)
 
 
 class JupyterHub(Application):
diff --git a/jupyterhub/dbutil.py b/jupyterhub/dbutil.py
index 59887ddb..ee608524 100644
--- a/jupyterhub/dbutil.py
+++ b/jupyterhub/dbutil.py
@@ -5,11 +5,17 @@
 # Based on pgcontents.utils.migrate, used under the Apache license.
 
 from contextlib import contextmanager
+from datetime import datetime
 import os
+import shutil
 from subprocess import check_call
 import sys
 from tempfile import TemporaryDirectory
 
+from sqlalchemy import create_engine
+
+from . import orm
+
 _here = os.path.abspath(os.path.dirname(__file__))
 
 ALEMBIC_INI_TEMPLATE_PATH = os.path.join(_here, 'alembic.ini')
@@ -84,6 +90,46 @@ def upgrade(db_url, revision='head'):
         )
 
 
+def backup_db_file(db_file, log=None):
+    """Backup a database file if it exists"""
+    timestamp = datetime.now().strftime('.%Y-%m-%d-%H%M%S')
+    backup_db_file = db_file + timestamp
+    for i in range(1, 10):
+        if not os.path.exists(backup_db_file):
+            break
+        backup_db_file = '{}.{}.{}'.format(db_file, timestamp, i)
+    #
+    if os.path.exists(backup_db_file):
+        raise OSError("backup db file already exists: %s" % backup_db_file)
+    if log:
+        log.info("Backing up %s => %s", db_file, backup_db_file)
+    shutil.copy(db_file, backup_db_file)
+
+
+def upgrade_if_needed(db_url, backup=True, log=None):
+    """Upgrade a database if needed
+
+    If the database is sqlite, a backup file will be created with a timestamp.
+    Other database systems should perform their own backups prior to calling this.
+    """
+    # run check-db-revision first
+    engine = create_engine(db_url)
+    try:
+        orm.check_db_revision(engine)
+    except orm.DatabaseSchemaMismatch:
+        # ignore mismatch error because that's what we are here for!
+        pass
+    else:
+        # nothing to do
+        return
+    log.info("Upgrading %s", db_url)
+    # we need to upgrade, backup the database
+    if backup and db_url.startswith('sqlite:///'):
+        db_file = db_url.split(':///', 1)[1]
+        backup_db_file(db_file, log=log)
+    upgrade(db_url)
+
+
 def _alembic(*args):
     """Run an alembic command with a temporary alembic.ini"""
     with _temp_alembic_ini('sqlite:///jupyterhub.sqlite') as alembic_ini:
diff --git a/jupyterhub/orm.py b/jupyterhub/orm.py
index 11aa0cc3..8dcf1eae 100644
--- a/jupyterhub/orm.py
+++ b/jupyterhub/orm.py
@@ -24,7 +24,6 @@ from sqlalchemy.pool import StaticPool
 from sqlalchemy.sql.expression import bindparam
 from sqlalchemy import create_engine, Table
 
-from .dbutil import _temp_alembic_ini
 from .utils import (
     random_port,
     new_token, hash_token, compare_token,
@@ -463,6 +462,8 @@ def check_db_revision(engine):
     current_table_names = set(engine.table_names())
     my_table_names = set(Base.metadata.tables.keys())
 
+    from .dbutil import _temp_alembic_ini
+
     with _temp_alembic_ini(engine.url) as ini:
         cfg = alembic.config.Config(ini)
         scripts = ScriptDirectory.from_config(cfg)