Patch Releases and Incremental Repository Merge
If you're upgrading from one major release of Siebel CRM to another, for example, from Siebel 8.0 to Siebel 8.2, then you must perform a full database upgrade. If you're upgrading within the same Siebel release, then you can upgrade by performing a patch release installation.
Siebel patch releases are applied onto existing patch releases, both of which are part of the same major Siebel CRM release. For example, you can install the latest Siebel CRM monthly update as a patch release into an existing installation of Siebel CRM version 8.1.1 or 8.1.1.x. For more information about installing the current Siebel CRM update release and about Siebel release types, see the Siebel Installation Guide for the operating system you're using. For more information about installing Siebel patchset releases, including new features, see Siebel CRM Update Guide and Release Notes on My Oracle Support, KB825124, for each applicable release.
If you install the current release as a patch installation, then you must use the Incremental Repository Merge feature to update your Siebel database to the current release. Incremental Repository Merge is a mechanism which lets you incrementally upgrade your custom repository data (including schema and predefined data) from Siebel CRM version 8.1.1.x (SIA Fix Pack) to Siebel 2020 (SIA) for example. On the DB2 for z/OS platform, incremental repository merge functionality isn't supported for upgrades to Siebel Release 8.2. For more information about the incremental repository merge process, see the chapter about performing an incremental repository merge in Siebel Database Upgrade Guide and Performing the Siebel Incremental Repository Merge.