This post will strive to discuss how Oracle does Oracle Database Releases. Oracle’s database release model can be confusing and even frustrating at times. It can also lead to a lot of questions about what version you should be on, and what version you should target to upgrade too in the future.
Well, let me see if I can help you with these questions.
The Oracle Database Release Model
Oracle database software releases will now be categorized in two different ways:
1. Long Term Release
2. Innovation Release
3. Preview Releases
Let me explain what these categorizations mean.
Long Term Releases
Long term database releases are for you if you are primarily interested in
· A stable database environment.
· Longer periods of premium and extended support
Designed for the more traditional production database platform, a Long Term Release Model database will offer 5 years of Premium Support (assuming no extensions). This will be followed by an additional 3 years of Extended Support (again, assuming no extensions). This longer support model helps to relieve the pressure to constantly upgrade the database purely for support purposes.
However, this comes with a price. Long Term Releases will roll in many of the new features introduced by previous Innovation Releases (which I will discuss in a second). However, since the timeframe between Long Term Release model databases will be longer, the introduction of newer features will also be fewer and farther between in these databases. For many organizations, this will probably be more than an acceptable trade off.
Currently, Oracle classifies database version 19c as a Long Term Release. Premier Support for 19c is slated to end 4/30/2024 with Extended support slated to end 4/30/2027. I expect that we will see long term releases coming every 3-5 years at this point.
Innovation Releases
In between Long Term Releases of the Oracle Database, Oracle will be releasing additional versions of the Oracle Database product called Innovation Releases.
Innovation Releases trade off database stability for the introduction of new features. The support paradigm for Innovation Releases is quite different than that for a Long Term Release. Oracle offers 2 years of Premier Support for an Innovation Release without any offering for Extended Support. As a result, if you are running on an Innovation Release your going to be forced to upgrade much more often.
Currently Oracle considers 18c and 21c to be Innovation releases. Oracle Database 18c will have support available until 6/30/2021. Oracle Database 21c will have support available until 6/30/2023.
Note that Oracle Database 21c (as of the time of this writing) is not generally available for on premise. It became available in the cloud in December 2020. I would not expect to see Oracle Database 21c available on premise until 2021. I would expect that we will see yearly Innovation Releases.
Preview Releases
I decided to throw in the Preview Release here even though Oracle does not clearly define what a Preview Release really is. At least, nowhere that I could find.
It seems that a Preview Release is a “maybe, just maybe we will release it affair”. Oracle released Oracle Database 20c into the cloud and had even published estimated release dates for on-prem back in early 2020. However, you will find now that Oracle has determined that Oracle Database 20c will not be released for on-prem at all. I think the messaging here is that if you’re going to muck around with a “Preview Release” you do so at your own peril. My understanding is that 20c Preview Version is to be totally removed from the Cloud (if it is not already).
The upshot here. Be careful of Preview Releases.Don't count on them becoming available in GA. Also I would not count on being able to upgrade any Preview Release database to any future database version and I'm not even sure I'd count on utilities like Oracle Data Pump working with this version and other database versions.
What Does This Mean to Me?
What are the considerations when deciding what release you are going to land on? Here are a few thoughts:
1. Obviously, the application you will be running the database on may drive the decision. If it requires a specific version of the database, then decision made.
2. In my mind, using a Long Term Release version of the database makes the most sense for most production databases for these reasons:
a. Stability – Most organizations prefer stability over leading edge feature sets, especially in production.
b. Reduced costs – There are significant costs associated with any database upgrade project. Long Term Releases offer reduced support driven upgrade projects.
c. Solid New Feature sets – There will be a slower adoption timeline for new feature sets when using the Long Term Release versions of the database. However, given that a new Long Term Release will be available every 3-5 years, you won’t have to wait that long for that great new feature to become available. The greatest benefit is that the new feature will have been stabilized.
What About Oracle Database 20c
It seems that Oracle Database 20c has surrendered to COVID. Oracle has stated the following:
Oracle is mindful of the unprecedented economic and business disruption our customers faced in 2020. We decided to not promote our Database 20c Preview version to General Availability. Instead, we incorporated all the 20c functionality into the 21c release and made 21c available in our Autonomous Database Free Tier so that all can test drive the new features and enhancements for free.
This seems to make it clear that Oracle Database 20c is the release that almost was. As I stated above, it was always touted as a “Preview Release”, whatever that officially means. However, for a long time Oracle stated intentions on releasing it to GA, and that it has decided not to do so has caused a bit of confusion.
