diff --git a/VERSION b/VERSION
index f0bb29e..88c5fb8 100644
--- a/VERSION
+++ b/VERSION
@@ -1 +1 @@
-1.3.0
+1.4.0
diff --git a/sql/03_tables.sql b/sql/03_tables.sql
index cc009ed..2346b43 100644
--- a/sql/03_tables.sql
+++ b/sql/03_tables.sql
@@ -128,10 +128,13 @@ CREATE TABLE meta.series (
     needs_reindex boolean NOT NULL DEFAULT false
 );
 
+-- A session's schedule is its definition string, nothing else. (Until 1.4.0
+-- a parsed copy was also stored in a "json" column; nothing read it, the C++
+-- client never wrote it, and it could silently disagree with the definition.
+-- Clients derive the parsed form from the definition when they need it.)
 CREATE TABLE meta.sessions (
     name character varying(50) NOT NULL,
     definition text NOT NULL,
-    "json" text,
     exchange_id character varying(12) NOT NULL
 );
 
diff --git a/sql/09_schema_check.sql b/sql/09_schema_check.sql
index 73ec36c..c55b6f6 100644
--- a/sql/09_schema_check.sql
+++ b/sql/09_schema_check.sql
@@ -170,7 +170,6 @@ BEGIN
         ('meta.series', 'needs_reindex', 'boolean', true),
         ('meta.sessions', 'name', 'character varying(50)', true),
         ('meta.sessions', 'definition', 'text', true),
-        ('meta.sessions', 'json', 'text', false),
         ('meta.sessions', 'exchange_id', 'character varying(12)', true),
         ('meta.timezones', 'iana_name', 'character varying(50)', true),
         ('meta.timezones', 'display_name', 'character varying(100)', true),
diff --git a/sql/10_schema_version.sql b/sql/10_schema_version.sql
index 7fee6e6..9e94f1e 100644
--- a/sql/10_schema_version.sql
+++ b/sql/10_schema_version.sql
@@ -5,4 +5,4 @@
 -- they were built for (Python: DB_SCHEMA_VERSION in tsapi_pgdb/_version.py).
 
 INSERT INTO meta.schema_version (version, description)
-VALUES ('1.3.0', 'meta.find_series_registry_mismatches()');
+VALUES ('1.4.0', 'meta.sessions.json dropped: the definition is the only schedule');