Upgrading to Oracle Database 10g (Page 1 of 4 )
Want to upgrade to Oracle Database 10g, but not sure how? Fortunately, there are a number of ways to do it. This article, the first of two parts, describes these methods and guides you as to which one to use, depending on your circumstances. It is excerpted from chapter two of the
Oracle Database 10g DBA Handbook, written by Kevin Loney and Bob Bryla (McGraw-Hill/Osborne, 2005; ISBN: 0072231459).
If you have previously installed an earlier version of the Oracle database server, you can upgrade your database to Oracle Database 10g. Multiple upgrade paths are supported; the right choice for you will depend on factors such as your current Oracle software version and your database size. In this chapter, you will see descriptions of these methods along with guidelines for their use.
If you have not used a version of Oracle prior to Oracle Database 10g, you can skip this chapter for now. However, you will likely need to refer to it when you upgrade from Oracle Database 10g to a later version or when you migrate data from a different database into your database.
Prior to beginning the upgrade, you should read the Oracle Database 10g Installation Guide for your operating system. A successful installation is dependent on a properly configured environment—including operating system patch levels and system parameter settings. Plan to get the installation and upgrade right the first time rather than attempting to restart a partially successful installation. Configure the system to support both the installation of the Oracle software and the creation of a usable starter database.
This chapter assumes that your installation of the Oracle Database 10g software (see Chapter 1) completed successfully and that you have an Oracle database that uses an earlier version of the Oracle software on the same server. To upgrade that database, you have four options:
- Use the Database Upgrade Assistant to guide and perform the upgrade in place. The old database will become an Oracle 10g database during this process.
- Perform a manual upgrade of the database. The old database will become an Oracle 10g database during this process.
- Use the Export and Import utilities to move data from an earlier version of Oracle to the Oracle 10g database. Two separate databases will be used—the old database as the source for the export and the new database as the target for the import.
- Copy data from an earlier version of Oracle to an Oracle 10g database. Two separate databases will be used—the old database as the source for the copy and the new database as the target for the copy.
Upgrading a database in place—via either the Database Upgrade Assistant or the manual upgrade path—is called a direct upgrade. Because a direct upgrade does not involve creating a second database for the one being upgraded, it may complete faster and require less disk space than an indirect upgrade.
NOTE
Direct upgrade of the database to version 10 is only supported if your present database is using one of these releases of Oracle: 8.0.6, 8.1.7, 9.0.1, or 9.2. If you are using any other release, you will first have to upgrade the database to one of those releases or you will need to use a different upgrade option. Oracle 8.0.6 is only supported for some versions (generally 64-bit), so be sure to check the online certification matrixes at Oracle’s Metalink site.
NOTE
Plan your upgrades carefully; you may need to allow time for multiple incremental upgrades (such as from 8.1.6 to 8.1.7) prior to upgrading to Oracle Database 10g.
Next: Choosing an Upgrade Method >>
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 This article is excerpted from chapter two of the Oracle Database 10g DBA Handbook, written by Kevin Loney and Bob Bryla (McGraw-Hill/Osborne, 2005; ISBN: 0072231459). Check it out today at your favorite bookstore. Buy this book now.
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