Upgrade to Oracle AI Database 26ai

Upgrade 3 Minutes

Get ready for the future and enjoy the many new cool features in Oracle AI Database 26ai. It is just an upgrade away.

This blog post gives you a quick overview of the upgrade to Oracle AI Database 26ai. Plus, it is the starting point of a whole series of blog posts with all the details.

Things to Know

  • You can upgrade to Oracle AI Database 26ai if your database runs 19c or 21c.

    • If you have an older database, you must first upgrade to 19c and then upgrade again to 26ai.
    • If you’re on 23ai, you can just patch the database; no upgrade needed, no need to re-certify your app.

  • Oracle AI Database 26ai supports the multitenant architecture only. If your database is a non-CDB, you must also convert it to a pluggable database as part of the upgrade.

  • Although the Multitenant Option requires a separate license, you can still run databases on the multitenant architecture without it. Oracle allows a certain number of pluggable databases in a container database without the Multitenant Option. Check the license guide for details, and be sure to set max_pdbs=3 if you don’t have the license.

  • Oracle AI Database 26ai is the next long-term support release. It means you can stay current with patches for many years. At the time of writing, Premier Support ends in December 2031, but check Release Schedule of Current Database Releases (Doc ID 742060.1) for up-to-date information.

  • In Oracle AI Database 26ai, AutoUpgrade is the only recommended tool for upgrading your database. Oracle desupported the Database Upgrade Assistant (DBUA).

  • You can also use Data Pump or Transportable Tablespaces to migrate your data directly into a 26ai PDB. Even if the source database runs on a lower release and in a non-CDB. In fact, you can export from Oracle v5 and import directly into a 26ai PDB.

Important Things about Multitenant Migration

  • The multitenant conversion is irreversible. Not even Flashback Database can help if you want to roll back. You must consider this when planning for a potential rollback.
  • For smaller databases, you can rely on RMAN backups. However, for larger databases, a restore may take too long.
  • For rollback, you can use a copy of the data files:
    • The CREATE PLUGGABLE DATABASE statement has a COPY clause, which copies the data files and uses the copies for the new PDB.
    • Refreshable clone PDB can minimize the time needed to copy the data files by doing it in advance and rolling forward with redo.
    • Use image copies of your data files and roll forward with RMAN.
    • Use a standby database for rollback.
    • Storage snapshots
  • Depending on your Data Guard configuration, the plug-in operation needs special attention on your standby databases. If you have standby databases, be very thorough and test the procedure properly.
  • In the worst case, you can break your standby databases without knowing it. Be sure to check your standby databases at the end of the migration. I recommend performing a switchover to be sure.
  • The multitenant conversion requires additional downtime. Normally, I’d say around 10-20 minutes of additional downtime. But if you have Data Guard and must fix your standby databases within the maintenance window, then you need even more time.

And Then …

Over the coming months, I will publish several blog posts with step-by-step instructions and other info. Stay tuned!

By the way, this blog post was originally posted a while ago for Oracle Database 23ai, but we all know what happened there. So, let’s start over with Oracle AI Database 26ai.

Happy upgrading!

Other Blog Posts

Non-CDB

  • Upgrade Oracle Database 19c Non-CDB to 26ai and Convert to PDB

  • Upgrade Oracle Database 19c Non-CDB to 26ai and Convert to PDB Using Refreshable Clone PDB

  • Upgrade Oracle Database 19c Non-CDB to 26ai and Convert to PDB with Data Guard and Re-using Data Files (Enabled Recovery)

  • Upgrade Oracle Database 19c Non-CDB to 26ai and Convert to PDB with Data Guard and Restoring Data Files (Deferred Recovery)

CDB

  • Upgrade Oracle Database 19c CDB to 26ai

  • Upgrade Oracle Database 19c CDB to 26ai with Data Guard

PDB

  • Upgrade Oracle Database 19c PDB to 26ai

  • Upgrade Oracle Database 19c PDB to 26ai using Refreshable Clone PDB

  • Upgrade Oracle Database 19c PDB to 26ai with Data Guard using Refreshable Clone PDB

  • Upgrade Oracle Database 19c PDB to 26ai with Data Guard and Re-using Data Files (Enabled Recovery)

  • Upgrade Oracle Database 19c PDB to 26ai with Data Guard and Restoring Data Files (Deferred Recovery)

OCI

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One thought on “Upgrade to Oracle AI Database 26ai”

  1. Pingback: Everything you need to know to upgrade to Oracle AI Database 26ai - Alex Zaballa - Oracle Tips and Guides

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