Oracle Database Releases That Support Direct Upgrade

Review which Oracle Database releases support a direct upgrade to Oracle AI Database.

You can perform a direct upgrade to the new release from the following releases:

• 21c
• 19c

The upgrade path depends on the release number of your current Oracle Database.

If your current Oracle Database release is earlier than 19c, then you cannot directly upgrade to Oracle AI Database 26ai. Upgrade first to a supported intermediate release, and then upgrade to Oracle AI Database 26ai.

If you cannot perform a direct upgrade, then upgrade to the most recent release that supports a direct upgrade from your current release.

Note:

For any multi-step upgrade that requires two upgrades to reach the current release, run the AutoUpgrade preupgrade checks twice: first, when upgrading to an intermediate release that supports a direct upgrade to the target release; and second, before upgrading from the intermediate release to the latest release.

For example, if your source database is running Oracle Database 12c Release 2 (12.2), then follow these steps to upgrade to Oracle AI Database 26ai:

1. Upgrade Release 12.2 to Release 21c using the instructions in Oracle Database Upgrade Guide 21c, including running the AutoUpgrade precheck for 21c.

2. Upgrade Oracle Database 21c directly to Oracle AI Database using this guide. Run the preupgrade script for Oracle AI Database.

The following table lists the required upgrade path for each Oracle Database release. Use the specified documentation to upgrade to an intermediate release, if needed, before upgrading to Oracle AI Database.

Table 1-1 Examples of Upgrade Paths for Oracle AI Database

Current Release	Upgrade Options
21c, 19c (all releases)	Direct upgrade is supported. Perform the upgrade using the current Oracle Database Upgrade Guide, which is this guide.
18c 12.2 12.1.0.2 12.1.0.1 11.2.0.1, 11.2.0.2, 11.2.0.3, 11.2.0.4 11.1.0.6, 11.1.0.7 10.2 or earlier releases	Direct upgrade to Oracle AI Database is not supported. Solution: Upgrade to an intermediate Oracle Database release that can be directly upgraded to the current release. Upgrade Oracle Database releases that are not supported for direct upgrade in this release to an intermediate Oracle Database release that is supported for direct upgrade. When upgrading to an intermediate Oracle Database release, follow the instructions in the intermediate release documentation, including running the preupgrade scripts for that release. After upgrading to the intermediate release, upgrade to the current Oracle Database release. This restriction does not apply if you use Oracle Data Pump export/import to migrate data to the new release. For example: Releases 12.2.0.1, 12.2.0.2. 12.2.0.3, 12.2.0.4, 18c: Upgrade to Oracle Database 21c, and then upgrade to Oracle AI Database. Releases 12.1.0.1, 12.1.0.2, 11.2.0.3, 11.2.0.4: Upgrade to Oracle Database 12c Release 2 (12.2), upgrade to Oracle Database 21c, and then upgrade to Oracle AI Database. Note: Always update to the most recent intermediate release to which you can upgrade directly. Your case can be different from that of the examples provided here.