diff --git a/database/migrations/2017_01_25_063357_fix_utf8_custom_field_column_names.php b/database/migrations/2017_01_25_063357_fix_utf8_custom_field_column_names.php
index e2ab62a5e..d4456e24e 100644
--- a/database/migrations/2017_01_25_063357_fix_utf8_custom_field_column_names.php
+++ b/database/migrations/2017_01_25_063357_fix_utf8_custom_field_column_names.php
@@ -3,34 +3,41 @@
 use Illuminate\Support\Facades\Schema;
 use Illuminate\Database\Migrations\Migration;
 use App\Models\CustomField;
+use Illuminate\Database\Schema\Blueprint;
 
-    /**
-     * Fixes issue #2551 where columns got donked if the field name in non-ascii
-     * format.
-     *
-     * The only time this is ever called is in the
-     * 2017_01_25_063357_fix_utf8_custom_field_column_names.php migration
-     * as a one-time fix.
-     *
-     * @author [A. Gianotto] [<snipe@snipe.net>]
-     * @since [v4.0]
-     * @return Array
-     */
-    function updateLegacyColumnName($customfield) {
-        $name_to_db_name = CustomField::name_to_db_name($customfield->name);
+/**
+ * Fixes issue #2551 where columns got donked if the field name in non-ascii
+ * format.
+ *
+ * The only time this is ever called is in the
+ * 2017_01_25_063357_fix_utf8_custom_field_column_names.php migration
+ * as a one-time fix.
+ *
+ * @author [A. Gianotto] [<snipe@snipe.net>]
+ * @since [v4.0]
+ * @return Array
+ */
 
-        if (Schema::hasColumn(CustomField::$table_name, $name_to_db_name)) {
+function updateLegacyColumnName($customfield) {
+    $name_to_db_name = CustomField::name_to_db_name($customfield->name);
+    \Log::debug('Trying to rename '.$name_to_db_name." to ".$customfield->convertUnicodeDbSlug()."...\n");
 
-            return Schema::table(CustomField::$table_name,
-                function ($table)  use ($name_to_db_name, $customfield) {
-                    $table->renameColumn($name_to_db_name, $customfield->convertUnicodeDbSlug());
-                }
-            );
+    if (Schema::hasColumn(CustomField::$table_name, $name_to_db_name)) {
 
-        }
+        return Schema::table(CustomField::$table_name,
+            function ($table)  use ($name_to_db_name, $customfield) {
+                $table->renameColumn($name_to_db_name, $customfield->convertUnicodeDbSlug());
+            }
+        );
 
+    } else {
+        \Log::debug('Legacy DB column '.$name_to_db_name.' was not found on the assets table.');
     }
 
+}
+
+
+
 
 class FixUtf8CustomFieldColumnNames extends Migration
 {
@@ -42,10 +49,26 @@ class FixUtf8CustomFieldColumnNames extends Migration
     public function up()
     {
 
+        Schema::table('custom_fields', function ($table) {
+            $table->string('db_column')->nullable();
+            $table->text('help_text')->nullable();
+        });
+
         foreach(CustomField::all() as $field) {
+
+            $db_column = $field->convertUnicodeDbSlug();
+
+            DB::table('custom_fields')
+                ->where('id', $field->id)
+                ->update(['db_column' => $db_column]);
+
+            // change the name of the column
             updateLegacyColumnName($field);
+
+
         }
 
+
     }
 
     /**
@@ -55,7 +78,10 @@ class FixUtf8CustomFieldColumnNames extends Migration
      */
     public function down()
     {
-        //
+        Schema::table('custom_fields', function ($table) {
+            $table->dropColumn('db_column');
+            $table->dropColumn('help_text');
+        });
     }
 
 }