Overview of the Upgrade

This chapter covers the following topics:

Upgrade and Requirements

This guide provides a high-level view of an upgrade of Oracle E-Business Suite technology stack and products from Release 11i to Release 12.2.

This and other Release 12.2 documents are updated as required. Ensure that you have the most current version of all guides and documents before you begin your system upgrade.

Additional Resources: Refer to Oracle E-Business Suite Documentation Web Library for the latest versions of relevant guides.

Supported Upgrade Paths

This release includes a repackaged Rapid Install that makes it possible to upgrade existing 11.5.10 CU2 systems (minimum baseline patches for Sustained Support) directly to Release 12.2. Refer to Patch Requirements for Sustaining Support of Oracle E-Business Suite (Doc ID: 883202.1) to review support requirements.

Oracle E-Business Suite Upgrade Paths

The following table lists the supported upgrade paths for Oracle Applications 11i, including releases that require an interim upgrade step. See Related Documents in the Preface for links to the documentation mentioned in this table, as well as in other sections of this guide. Upgrades from 11.0 or 11i to Release 12.2 must be from 11.5.10.2. If you are not at 11.5.10.2 code level, then you must first patch or upgrade to 11.5.10.2, and then to 12.2. See the following table for details.

Release Level Upgrade Path Documentation References
11.0 11.5.10 CU2 > Minimum Patch Requirements for Sustaining Support for 11.5.10 > Release 12.2 Oracle Applications Release 11.5.10.2 Maintenance Pack Installation Instructions (Doc ID: 316365.1)
Patch Requirements for Sustaining Support for Oracle E-Business Suite Release 11.5.10 (Doc ID: 883202.1)
Oracle E-Business Suite Upgrade Guide: Release 11i to Release 12.2
11.5.1 - 11.5.9 11.5.10 CU2 -> Minimum Patch Requirements for Sustaining Support for 11.5.10 -> Release 12.2 Oracle Applications Release 11.5.10.2 Maintenance Pack Installation Instructions (Doc ID: 316365.1)
Patch Requirements for Sustaining Support for Oracle E-Business Suite Release 11.5.10 (Doc ID: 883202.1)
Oracle E-Business Suite Upgrade Guide: Release 11i to Release 12.2
11.5.10 CU2 Minimum Patch Requirements for Sustaining Support for 11.5.10 -> Release 12.2 Patch Requirements for Sustaining Support for Oracle E-Business Suite Release 11.5.10 (Doc ID: 883202.1)
Oracle E-Business Suite Upgrade Guide: Release 11i to Release 12.2

Database Upgrade Requirements

Upgrading to Oracle E-Business Suite Release 12.2 requires your database to be at the minimum version 11.2.0.4. Before you begin your upgrade to Oracle E-Business Suite Release 12.2, you must upgrade your database to version 11.2.0.4 or higher.

Additional Information: For additional information, see Chapter 4, Performing the Upgrade, Preparing the Database for the Upgrade.

Note: Database de-support schedules have important operational and planning implications for Oracle E-Business Suite environments. Oracle recommends that you review the latest database support policies and de-support schedules. See My Oracle Support knowledge Doc ID 742060.1, Release Schedule of Current Database Patch Sets.

Understanding the Upgrade Flow and Process

The upgrade process has been enhanced and streamlined in Release 12.2. New features in Rapid Install and AutoPatch increase capabilities.

Rapid Install provides the latest certified versions of Oracle E-Business Suite products, including technology stack components. In an upgrade, Rapid Install creates the new file system for the application tier components and the new file system for the database. After the upgrade, run Rapid Install again to configure the application tier.

An upgrade also includes various manual steps, including some that direct you to run scripts or apply patches. Use AutoPatch (adpatch) to apply Oracle E-Business Suite patches, including the unified driver, which upgrades the Oracle E-Business Suite database objects to Release 12.2.0. After upgrading to 12.2.0 and Online Enablement is complete, adop is used to apply all Oracle E-Business Suite patches.

This guide contains information regarding technical and functional impact and changes due to the upgrade. It is very important that your DBA and your functional specialists work together to review this information carefully as a part of upgrade planning. Doing so will help to prevent unexpected delays during and after the upgrade.

Overview of Planning and Preparing for the Upgrade

There are a number of tasks that must be performed prior to starting the upgrade. Use the following chapters in this guide to help you plan and prepare for upgrade:

The following diagram illustrates the high-level overview of the tasks described in this guide:

the picture is described in the document text

Overview of the Oracle E-Business Suite Release 12.2 Upgrade Process

For detailed upgrade steps, see the chapter Performing the Upgrade in this guide. Upgrade steps can be categorized into the following stages:

the picture is described in the document text

The following is a summary of the steps for each category:

  1. Prepare the database.

    • Upgrade the database to the minimum version or the latest certified version.

    • Migrate to a new platform (optional).

    • Apply the latest database patches.

  2. Lay down the Oracle E-Business Suite Release 12.2 file system.

    • Download and stage the Release 12.2 media pack.

    • Use Rapid Install to lay down the file system and technology stack.

    • Apply the latest application tier technology stack patches.

  3. Upgrade to Release 12.2.0.

    • Apply the latest AD upgrade patch and Oracle E-Business Suite Consolidated Upgrade Patch (CUP).

    • Apply the latest Oracle E-Business Suite pre-install patches.

    • Apply the 12.2 merged upgrade driver.

    • Run Rapid Install in configure mode.

  4. Enable online patching.

    • Apply the latest Online Patching Readiness Report Patch.

    • Apply required updates to custom code according to the readiness reports.

    • Apply the enablement patch.

  5. Upgrade to the latest code.

    • Apply the latest AD-TXK RUP.

    • Apply the latest Oracle E-Business Suite Release 12.2 Release Update Pack (RUP).

      Note: You must apply the 12.2.3 or later RUP to your existing Release 12.2 system for production use.

      RUPs are released periodically. Each one is cumulative and delivers error corrections and system updates, not only for the most current release update pack, but also for all the RUPs that precede it. Oracle highly recommends that when planning your upgrade you plan to upgrade to the latest RUP available.

      You can stay current on the latest release information, as well as new RUP announcements and other updates that may affect your upgrade by reviewing the latest version of Oracle Applications Release Notes Release 12.2.0.

    • Complete post-upgrade steps.

    • Apply the latest security patches.

    • Apply all recommended patches.

    • Apply NLS patches (conditional).

  6. Deploy customizations and external and third-party integrations.

  7. Perform advanced configurations.

    • Scale your system as needed. For example, add managed servers, application tier nodes, or Oracle RAC nodes.

      Supported in EURC-DT: Yes

      Note: The upgrade process is performed with one application tier and one database tier. If you are using an Oracle RAC environment, then you should run the Release 12.2 upgrade on a single Oracle RAC node. The reason for upgrading with a single Oracle RAC node is that most of the elapsed time in the upgrade will be taken by jobs running DML statements (INSERT, UPDATE, DELETE). These jobs use multiple workers and parallel servers, which typically attempt to access the same objects and blocks concurrently. The consequent additional communication between cluster nodes (and associated cluster waits) significantly outweigh any gains from using the additional CPUs to increase throughput. Scaling out is a post-upgrade step.

    • Configure security.

    • Configure your DMZ.

    • Set up disaster recovery.

    • Set up your reporting environment.

  8. Perform product specific tasks.

    Some products include tasks that must be performed after the upgrade is complete.

The required steps are covered in detail in the following chapters of this upgrade guide:

Scheduling Time for an Upgrade

Before scheduling a time for the upgrade, you should perform several iterations of the upgrade in a non-production environment. The goal of multiple iterations is to confirm the required steps and reduce the time required to perform the upgrade.

In an upgrade, critical system downtime refers to the period of time when users cannot log on to the system or use Oracle E-Business Suite. There are several actions you can take to reduce this downtime period.

Suggested Reading: Some tasks and steps in subsequent chapters may be performed in parallel. You can streamline your upgrade, improve performance, and reduce downtime by following certain best practices. For additional information, see the following documents:

After you have optimized your upgrade plan and finalized testing, you will have an estimate for the amount of time required to perform the upgrade in production. You can then schedule the time required for the upgrade to your production environment.

Testing the Upgrade

Oracle recommends that you perform several upgrade tests on a copy (clone) of your existing system with similar hardware. This process enables you to address any issues you encounter and provides an estimate of your actual upgrade times.

When upgrading Oracle E-Business Suite, it is essential to ensure that the performance of key operations continues to meet requirements after the upgrade. Oracle recommends that you upgrade Oracle E-Business Suite in a test environment, and then conduct a benchmark test with the configuration, product mix, and user load that simulates current and expected workloads. Controlled conditions help verify performance prior to the upgrade of your production environment.

Additional Information: For additional information about performance testing in your post-upgrade test environment, see Oracle E-Business Suite Performance Best Practices (Doc ID: 2528000.1).