You might ask yourself what an Oracle database upgrade and mountain hiking have in common?
On first sight: really nothing. But if you come a bit closer and look more into the details there are some similarities. Maybe more than you’d thought at the beginning.
Being well prepared is of vital importance for your upgrade success!
First of all, likewise a hike an upgrade has to be prepared very well. You probably won’t do an 5 hour hike without reading a tour description beforehand, grab a good map, check your equipment the day before. And with an Oracle upgrade it should be the same. Be prepared. Read the documentation (that’s why we put a lot of useful information into the docs and notes):
+ Oracle Upgrade Companion 11.2 – Note:785351.1
+ Upgrade Guide 11.2
+ Complete Checklist for Manual Upgrades 11.2 – Note:837570.1
and prepare a list of tasks to complete before you even logon to your database. The Upgrade Companion does a good job in assisting you writing down a conceptual plan.
Be an early bird – upgrade to Oracle Database 11gR2!
Secondly, as well as an early-morning start with the alarm clock ringing shockingly at 5am running your first upgrade tests NOW will allow you being really relaxed once you’ll roll out the new release in production. In terms of a mountain hike you’ll have the chance to get some nice views such as those I got yesterday when doing my favourite hike in the Bavarian Alps
(“Holgi, missed you up there! 4:06 hrs 🙂 …”).
Translating this back in our upgrade scenario you’ll build up knowledge and experience with the new release very early. That’s a big advantage. You’ll discover the important new features in an early stage. And this will help you developing your upgrade plans carefully.
It’s your choice if you’d like to upgrade to Oracle Database 11gR1 or Oracle Database 11gR2. But you should begin your tests now. Be an early bird. Don’t waste time. And if you plan to go live with Oracle Database 11gR2 in the near future just feel free to contact me if you’d like to become one of Oracle’s official references.
