1. Database Upgrade Guide
  2. Preparing to Upgrade Oracle Database
  3. Tasks to Prepare for Oracle Database Upgrades
  4. Choose an Upgrade Method for Oracle Database

Choose an Upgrade Method for Oracle Database

Oracle offers several methods to upgrade your database, which support the complexities of your enterprise.

Parent topic: Tasks to Prepare for Oracle Database Upgrades

The AutoUpgrade Utility Method for Upgrading Oracle Database

The AutoUpgrade utility identifies issues before upgrades, performs pre- and postupgrade actions, deploys upgrades, performs postupgrade actions, and starts the upgraded Oracle Database.

Oracle recommends that you download the most recent version of the AutoUpgrade Utility from My Oracle Support Document 2485457.1, and use autoupgrade.jar to prepare for and to deploy your upgrade. The AutoUpgrade utility is designed to automate the upgrade process, both before starting upgrades, during upgrade deployments, and during postupgrade checks and configuration migration. You use AutoUpgrade after you have downloaded binaries for the new Oracle Database release, and set up new release Oracle homes. When you use AutoUpgrade, you can upgrade multiple Oracle Database deployments at the same time, using a single configuration file, customized as needed for each database deployment. Starting with Oracle Database 21c, when you have an existing target release CDB, you can use AutoUpgrade to convert a non-CDB Oracle Database to a PDB on the target release CDB during the upgrade.

With AutoUpgrade, when you have an existing target release CDB, you can use AutoUpgrade to convert a non-CDB Oracle Database to a PDB on the target release CDB during the upgrade.

Starting with AutoUpgrade version 22.1, Oracle provides REST APIs that enable you to perform upgrades remotely over SSH using Oracle REST Data Services (ORDS) or Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI) REST API. The ORDS database API is a database management and monitoring REST API embedded into Oracle REST Data Services. The OCI REST API is enabled by configuring the REST Adapter connection to use the OCI Signature Version 1 security policy. You can now use these features to run AutoUpgrade upgrades remotely over HTTPS or HTTP.

The minimum COMPATIBLE parameter setting for the source database must be at least 12.2.0. If the COMPATIBLE setting is a lower version, then during the conversion and upgrade process, COMPATIBLE is set to 12.2.0. During the conversion, the original datafiles are retained. They are not copied to create the new PDB. To enable AutoUpgrade to perform the upgrade, edit the AutoUpgrade configuration file to set the AutoUpgrade parameters target_version to the target CDB release, and identify the CDB to which the upgraded database is placed using target_cdb. During the conversion and upgrade process, AutoUpgrade uses that information to complete the upgrade to the target CDB.

Caution:

Before you run AutoUpgrade to complete the conversion and upgrade. Oracle strongly recommends that you create a full backup of your source database, and complete thorough testing of the upgrade. There is no option to roll back to the non-CDB Oracle Database state after AutoUpgrade starts this procedure.

Parent topic: Choose an Upgrade Method for Oracle Database

The Replay Upgrade Method for Upgrading Oracle Database

The Replay Upgrade feature upgrades databases to the multitenant architecture by using previously-captured statements to perform the upgrade.

The Replay Upgrade feature uses capture tables in the CDB$ROOT of the target release CDB Oracle Database. You install the new Oracle Database release, which uses the multitenant architecture. If you are upgrading a CDB, then each PDB in the CDB is upgraded using Replay Upgrade. If you are upgrading individual PDBs, or upgrading non-CDB databases, then you upgrade each database by plugging it in to the new Oracle Database release, and then opening the database. When the database is opened, the source database is upgraded to the new release. If the source database is a non-CDB, then it is converted from a non-CDB to a PDB, and upgrade statements are replayed into the new Oracle Database, updating in the process the data dictionary for the database tables.

Parent topic: Choose an Upgrade Method for Oracle Database

The Export/Import Method for Migrating Data When Upgrading Oracle Database

You can use Oracle Data Pump to carry out data exports and imports.

Topics:

Parent topic: Choose an Upgrade Method for Oracle Database

The Effects of Export/Import on Upgraded Oracle Databases

Using Export/Import data migration to move to a new Oracle Database instance can maintain availability, but there are restrictions and tests you should perform.

The Export/Import data migration method does not change the current database, which enables the database to remain available throughout the upgrade process. However, if a consistent snapshot of the database is required (for data integrity, or for other purposes), then the database must run in restricted mode, or must otherwise be protected from changes during the export procedure. Because the current database can remain available, you can, for example, keep an existing production database running while the newly upgraded Oracle Database is being built at the same time by Export/Import. During the upgrade, to maintain complete database consistency, changes to the data in the database cannot be permitted without the same changes to the data in the newly upgraded Oracle Database.

Most importantly, the Export/Import operation results in a completely new database. Although the current target database ultimately contains a copy of the specified data that you migrated, the upgraded database can perform differently from the original source database. Export/Import creates an identical copy of the database, but other factors associated with differences between database releases can cause unexpected performance issues. (For example: disk placement of data, and unset tuning parameters).

Parent topic: The Export/Import Method for Migrating Data When Upgrading Oracle Database

Export/Import Benefits for Migrating Data for Oracle Database

Migrating data when upgrading Oracle Database using Oracle Data Pump Export and Import provides benefits that can increase performance.

Using Oracle Data Pump Export and Import to migrate data provides the following benefits:

  • Defragments the data. You can compress the imported data to improve performance.

  • Restructures the database. You can create new tablespaces or modify existing tables, tablespaces, or partitions that you want to populate with imported data.

  • Facilitates side-by-side testing of the earlier release (current) Oracle Database, and the new release Oracle Database, because an entirely new database is created.

  • Enables the copying of specified database objects or users. Importing only the objects, users, and other items you need is useful for establishing a test environment for the new software on only a subset of the production data. Oracle Data Pump Export and Import provides flexible data-subsetting capabilities, such as INCLUDE and EXLUDE. By using these capabilities, you can narrow the list of objects that you import. By using the QUERY parameters, you can to filter out rows for a table at export and import time.

  • Serves as a backup archive. You can use a full database export as an archive of the current database.

  • Enables you to establish the upgraded database on a different operating system or hardware platform than the platform on which your earlier release database is placed.

  • Network-based Oracle Data Pump Import enables you to load the new release Oracle Database directly across the network used for your earlier release Oracle Database. By using network-based Oracle Data Pump Import, you are not required to use intervening dump files.

Parent topic: The Export/Import Method for Migrating Data When Upgrading Oracle Database

Time Requirements for Migrating Data with Export/Import

Understand the time it takes for data migration using Oracle Data Pump, and plan accordingly.

Migrating an entire Oracle Database by using Oracle Data Pump using Export/Import can take a long time, especially compared to using AutoUpgrade. If you use Oracle Data Pump to migrate data, then schedule the migration during non-peak hours or make provisions for propagating to the new database any changes that are made to the current database during the upgrade.

There are things you can do to attempt to speed up that process. Follow best practice guidelines, and review Oracle Data Pump performance guidelines in Oracle Database Utilities.

Related Topics

Parent topic: The Export/Import Method for Migrating Data When Upgrading Oracle Database

About Transporting and Upgrading a Database (Full Transportable Export/Import)

You can use file-based or nonfile-based modes for transporting data.

The Full Transportable Export/Import feature of Oracle Data Pump provides two options.

  • Using a file-based Oracle Data Pump export/import

  • Using a nonfile-based network mode Oracle Data Pump import

See Also:

Parent topic: The Export/Import Method for Migrating Data When Upgrading Oracle Database