app_orch.sls

initial_highstate:
  salt.state:
    - tgt: 'app:myapp'
    - tgt_type: grain
    - highstate: True


run_upgrade:
  salt.state:
    - tgt: 'G@app:myapp and not G@app_role:database'
    - tgt_type: compound
    - sls:
      - app_upgrade
      
#salt-run state.orchestrate myapp.myapp_orch test=True
#[ERROR   ] An exception occurred in this state: Traceback (most recent call last):
#  File "/usr/lib/python2.7/dist-packages/salt/state.py", line 1594, in call
#    **cdata['kwargs'])
#  File "/usr/lib/python2.7/dist-packages/salt/loader.py", line 1491, in wrapper
#    return f(*args, **kwargs)
#  File "/usr/lib/python2.7/dist-packages/salt/states/saltmod.py", line 259, in state
#    for state_item in six.itervalues(m_ret):
#  File "/usr/lib/python2.7/dist-packages/salt/ext/six.py", line 580, in itervalues
#    return iter(d.itervalues(**kw))
#AttributeError: 'list' object has no attribute 'itervalues'

#saltmstr.example.com_master:
#  Name: initial_highstate - Function: salt.state - Result: Clean
#  Name: run_upgrade - Function: salt.state - Result: Failed
#
#Summary for saltmstr.example.com_master
#------------
#Succeeded: 1
#Failed:    1
#------------
#Total states run:     2
#Total run time:   8.705 s

@Karunamon, don't you need a G@ on line 3?

@jfindlay I don't think so - as far as I know, that syntax is only used when tgt_type is compound.