diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index aced60c..ae4594b 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -98,6 +98,15 @@ A config file in the JSON format has to be provided using `--config` to override
 By default, if there is a `config.json` file in the current directory of the `cc-backend` process, it will be loaded even without the `--config` flag.
 You find documentation of all supported configuration and command line options [here](./configs.README.md).
 
+## Database initialization and migration
+
+Every cc-backend version supports a specific database version.
+On startup the version of the sqlite database is validated and cc-backend will terminate if the version does not match.
+cc-backend supports to migrate the database schema up to the required version using the `--migrate-db` command line option.
+In case the database file does not yet exist it is created and initialized by the `--migrate-db` command line option.
+In case you want to use a newer database version with an olden version of cc-backend you can downgrade a database using the external [migrate](https://github.com/golang-migrate/migrate) tool.
+In this case you have to provide the path to the migration files in a recent source tree: `./internal/repository/migrations/`.
+
 ## Development
 In case the REST or GraphQL API is changed the according code generators have to be used.
 
diff --git a/internal/repository/migration.go b/internal/repository/migration.go
index b941da4..5913fdb 100644
--- a/internal/repository/migration.go
+++ b/internal/repository/migration.go
@@ -49,6 +49,11 @@ func checkDBVersion(db *sql.DB) {
 		log.Warnf("Unsupported database version %d, need %d.\nPlease backup your database file and run cc-backend --migrate-db", v, supportedVersion)
 		os.Exit(0)
 	}
+
+	if v > supportedVersion {
+		log.Warnf("Unsupported database version %d, need %d.\nPlease refer to documentation how to downgrade db with external migrate tool!", v, supportedVersion)
+		os.Exit(0)
+	}
 }
 
 func MigrateDB(db string) {