ArcGIS Enteprise 11.1 EGDB older Oracle versions usable?

[SimonSchütte_ct]

ArcGIS 11.1 and ArcGIS Pro 3.1 requirements for Oracle—ArcGIS Enterprise | Documentation for ArcGIS ...
Supported database versions

The following Oracle release is the minimum certified patched version supported with ArcGIS. Newer Oracle updates on this version, including patches, are supported.

Standard 2 (SE2)/Enterprise (EE) Editions:

Oracle 19c (64 bit) 19.3.0.0

Does this mean it is literally not possible to use any older version than 19c or is this simply a note, that older versions are not endorsed/certified and will not receive Esri support if issues arise?

[MarceloMarques · Accepted solution]

@SimonSchütze 

ArcGIS 11.1 and ArcGIS Pro 3.1 requirements for Oracle—ArcGIS Enterprise | Documentation for ArcGIS ...

The following Oracle release is the minimum certified patched version supported with ArcGIS. Newer Oracle updates on this version, including patches, are supported.

It means that Oracle 19.3 is certified and supported with ArcGIS Enterprise 11.1 and Pro 3.1.

And the 19c Release Updates are supported but not certified.

This means if you are running Oracle 19.19 Release Update 18-APRIL-2023  then you will be able to open an Esri Technical Support to follow up on any problems and log bugs and request a patch to fix the problem.

Note, 19.3 was released many years ago and customers shall patch the Oracle Database with the latest Release Updates.

• Oracle 19c is still the long-term release, with a long life-time and a long patch cycle.
• Oracle 21c is the innovation release, with a short life time and short patch cycle.
• Oracle 12c - 12.2 / 12.1 - End of Life - Esri Community

My Oracle Support - support.oracle.com

Release Schedule of Current Database Releases (Doc ID 742060.1)

Hence, you want to avoid running 21c in production if you can, unless you really need a particular Oracle Feature that is only available in 21c.

Oracle 23c shall release sometime by the end of the 2023 year, Oracle still needs to make an official announcement. Oracle 23c will be the next long-term release.

Esri will certify and support Oracle 23c in a future ArcGIS release to be announced.

I have used 21c with the Geodatabase and I did not run into any issues, but as stated in the documentation only 19c is certified and supported.

This means if you are using 21c and you ran into an issue then Esri Support might not be able to assist you and might not be possible to log a bug and request a fix, this can only happen if you are running a supported configuration.

I hope this helps to clarify your question.

[SimonSchütte_ct]

Thank you for the detailed answer! My question was aiming on upgrade scenarios:
When upgrading to ArcGIS Enterprise 11.1, is it possible to use it with an older version (11, 12, 18) until the database is migrated, or will ArcGIS Enterprise 11.1 simply not work with older versions?
From my understanding, it should be possible to upgrade ArcGIS Enterprise first and update the database later to the certified version.

[MarceloMarques · Accepted solution]

Yes, it is possible but not recommended, please read the documentation below.

ArcGIS Pro: Compatibility between ArcGIS clients and geodatabases in Oracle—ArcGIS Pro | Documentati...
ArcGIS Pro: Client and geodatabase compatibility—ArcGIS Pro | Documentation
ArcGIS Enterprise: Client and geodatabase compatibility—ArcGIS Server | Documentation for ArcGIS Ent...

"You do not have to keep your geodatabase and ArcGIS clients at the same release, but it is recommended that you do so. Geodatabases and client software are designed to work together, and if you let one get too many releases away from the other, you risk encountering problems or unexpected behavior."

"This is especially true when you use a mix of client versions at your site. A newer client can create newer dataset types in the geodatabase that older clients cannot access. For enterprise geodatabases, waiting too long between geodatabase upgrades may mean you have to upgrade the underlying database more than once before you can upgrade the geodatabase."

The best practice is to have the version of ArcGIS Enterprise + ArcGIS Pro + Enterprise Geodatabase Repository to match.

ArcMap: Compatibility between ArcGIS clients and geodatabases in Oracle—ArcMap | Documentation
ArcMap: Client and geodatabase compatibility—ArcMap | Documentation (arcgis.com)

[MaddieMooreDEQ]

Is there any update to when Oracle 23c will be supported by Esri? We are being forced to move to 23c by security at my agency and they say it must happen ASAP. 

[MarceloMarques]

@MaddieMooreDEQ 

- Oracle 19c is still a long-term Oracle Database Release supported by Oracle and Oracle does provides patches.

- ArcGIS Pro 3.2 and ArcGIS Enterprise 11.2 support Oracle 19c.

ArcGIS 11.2 and ArcGIS Pro 3.2 requirements for Oracle—ArcGIS Enterprise | Documentation for ArcGIS ...

- Oracle 23 is the next long-term Oracle Database Release.

- Oracle 23c On-Premises for Linux / Windows has not been released by Oracle yet.

- Oracle 23c Release was renamed to Oracle 23ai because of the importance of the breakthrough AI technology in this release.

- Oracle 23ai is only available in the Oracle Cloud.

- Oracle has not announced when Oracle 23ai On-Premises will be released.

- ArcGIS will support Oracle 23ai On-Premises and Oracle 23ai in the Oracle Cloud in a future ArcGIS release probably only after the Oracle 23ai On-Premises is released.

MOS: My Oracle Support - support.oracle.com
Release Schedule of Current Database Releases (Doc ID 742060.1)

2H CY2024 = Date falls within the 2nd half of Calendar Year. Jul-Dec 2024.

I hope this clarifies.

[Bud]

Out of curiosity:

For organizations who might be doing a GIS upgrade project in the next 6-9 months:
If Oracle 23ai on-prem hasn't been released at the time of the upgrade, or if ArcGIS Enterprise doesn't support 23ai at the time of the upgrade, is there a risk that the new ArcGIS Enterprise implementation would be forced to use 19c, which will only be supported until 2026?

For organizations who only have resources to upgrade their GIS every 5-6 years, would they be caught in an awkward spot where they’re using 19c, which would be unsupported shortly after implementation?

This isn't my area of expertise.

[MarceloMarques]

@Bud - Oracle might decide to extend the support of 19c once Oracle is taking a long time to release 23ai On-Premises, this has happened with other versions of the Oracle Database in the past, hence Oracle might continue to support the old long-term version for a few more years till all the customers have time to migrate to the new long-term release.