Exciting news. And some of you may have spotted it already due to an update on the Single Source of Truth note, MOS 742060.1 last week: Oracle Database 19c Premier Support extended by more than 1 year.

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Oracle Database 19c Premier Support extended by more than 1 year
This is an important message some customers have already asked for. Originally, the Premier Support period for Oracle Database 19c was supposed to run until end of March 2023. Now you may relax in your chair as this seems unbelievably far away. But that’s only 33.5 months from now on :). Sounds like a pretty comfortable time line, doesn’t it?
But many of you haven’t upgraded yet. I’d say that a lot of people approach the upgrades to Oracle Database 19c right now with a target of “go live within the next months“. When I browse through my inbox and my social media time lines, it feels to me literally like EVERYBODY is upgrading to 19c now. Which is good.
And this is exactly what we clearly recommend. Without any exception unless your application vendor strictly insists they haven’t certified 19c yet.
As of now, June 10, 2020, the Premier Support for Oracle Database 19c has been extended by more than 1 year until end of April 2024.
This is pretty neat, isn’t it.
Extended Support for Oracle Database 19c
As this has a direct implication on the Extended Support time frame, you’ll benefit from this change as well. The Extended Support (ES) period remains as a 3-year period. But it moves by 13 months and starts May 1, 2024. And it ends on April 30, 2027. Of course, Extended Support is an extra cost option. And in case you have a ULA or PULA license agreement, you can easily include ES into your contract at no extra cost. Your Oracle sales person will guide you in case you need advice.
So the current support time frames translate into:

Lifetime Support Policy as of June 10, 2020 – Please see MOS Note: 742060.1 for further details
Lifetime Support Policy Brochure
Sure thing, you will find these dates not only on MyOracle Support but also in the Lifetime Support Policy Brochure.
Oracle Lifetime Support Policy Brochure – Screenshot June 10, 2020
To which release should you upgrade?
There is clearly one single answer to this question: Oracle Database 19c.
It is the Long Term Support (LTS) release with now more than 5 years of Premier Support plus any 3 additional years of Extended Support. With the addition of 13 months Premier Support until April 30, 2024 you’ll have now enough time to move from the previous databases releases – and not being forced to attempt the next upgrade right away.
But don’t wait – start testing now if you haven’t done already.
Please see also my blog post:
with a lot of additional updates during the past 4 months due including all the changes to the support policy.
Further Information and Links
- MOS Note: 742060.1 – Release Schedule of Current Database Releases
- MOS Note: :161818.1 – Oracle Database (RDBMS) Releases Support Status Summary
- Lifetime Support Policy Brochure
- To which release should you upgrade … Revisited
–Mike