RE: Database Upgrade/Migration Dilemma

 

A few months ago I did a migration from Oracle 8.0.6 to Oracle 10.2.0.2 on Solaris. I basically used your plan outlined in your third paragraph except I used user export/import (why can’t you use this? How big is the database?). Everything worked well …

… because we had tested it.

A trivial example; parameter types defined in a package header and body have to match on 10g; they didn’t on 8. So PL/SQL packages that compiled on Oracle 8 will not necessarily compile on 10g. Production downtime during a migration is not the time to hit these problems for the first time.

Put it in writing that you are totally against migrating without testing and make sure a copy goes to the business owner of the data. If the system is so mission critical that it can’t be shut down during a migration (I’m against this too) then think about what the ramifications will be if you can’t start the application after the migration.

Ray

From: oracle-l-bounce_at_freelists.org [mailto:oracle-l-bounce_at_freelists.org] On Behalf Of Rick Weiss Sent: Thursday, October 26, 2006 3:13 PM To: oracle-l_at_freelists.org
Subject: Database Upgrade/Migration Dilemma

I just had an interesting and disturbing discussion with damagement and wanted to run this by the DBA Gods that read this list.

We are planning to migrate out production environment from Oracle 8i (8.1.6) on AIX to Oracle 10g (10.2) on Linux.  My current plant is to do the data moves (about 150 tables) as CTAS via database links. (are there better options? exp/imp won't go back that far)  The biggest kicker came in this afternoon - our Java head wants to do the migration with the application up and accessible.

This just seems to me to be courting disaster.  My suggestion was to take everything down, back up the entire environment and then do the moves prior to repointing the applications and bringing them up.

Another kicker is they don't want to test prior to pulling the trigger.  The worst thing is they made the decision while I was out of town @ OOW.

Should I get my resume' ready?

Thank you for any insights you may have.

Rick Weiss
Oracle Database Administrator

Student Assistance Foundation
P.O.Box 203101
2500 Broadway
Helena, MT 59620-3101

rweiss_at_safmt.org (mailto:rweiss_at_safmt.org) (406) 495-7356

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