Importance of Testing for Oracle Patching Readiness

The majority of enterprise organizations are adopting cloud-based IT operations/administration, and the market is currently in the transformation phase. Oracle Cloud is a premier ERP solution for large and mid-sized businesses. 

As previously stated, Oracle offers software and hardware updates for its partner Oracle Cloud environments via patches every quarter. 

Oracle Patching, as we all know, is the process of modifying Oracle Cloud Applications to include new functionality, UI modifications, customer enhancement requests, and bug repairs. 

Because upgrades are required and unavoidable, testing must be performed to guarantee that all enhanced functionalities work properly in accordance with the company’s operations. Overall upgrading impacts the production and valuation of your business which leads to future success. 

Testing is even required to see in case the adjustments have had any effect on their BAU. As a result, enterprise clients must conduct checking, analyze the data, and submit issues with Oracle within a specific time frame. 

The quarterly patch testing is a collaborative activity involving IT/DEV, QA, and BAs, and it requires flawless coordination. 

THINGS TO CONSIDER
Oracle only offers the testing window for about two weeks and therefore a backup of all systems by an engineer before patching is a good idea to prevent any conflicts or regressions. 

Overview of Oracle Patch Releases 

Oracle offers a quarterly patch update cadence through its apps cloud console each quarter. The information on software and hardware patch updates is specified here and is valid for the environments listed below. 

• New Features/Functions 
• Bug fixes allow for infrastructure updates. 
• Oracle’s monthly updates are optional. 

Oracle alerts all of its partners’ service administrators about the updates contained in each patch. It normally offers a one-week advance notice before patching the test environment for minor patch releases, and a two-month advance notice for major update releases. 

A document containing detailed information on the published patches is provided to the administrator, and the same is submitted to the Oracle Cloud Release Readiness website. 

Quarterly Updates are Mandatory 

In a calendar year, there will be four feature/function updates to tell partners about the quarterly update period’s schedule. 

• Quarterly updates may include the following: 
• New and improved features and functions 
• Updates to National Language Support (NLS) are available for all installed language packs. 
• All reported Oracle Cloud Applications issues have been resolved. 
• All reported issues with Oracle Transactional Business Intelligence (OTBI) and Oracle Fusion Middleware have been resolved. Middleware updates are sometimes referred to as P4FA updates.  

The global Oracle services market analysis graph mentioned below highlights the expansion of Oracle in different sectors. And therefore, the latest upgrades whenever necessary holds significant importance for businesses. 

Essential Prerequisites Must be Met before Testing Can Start. 

Quarterly Patch Release Schedule: Knowing the patch release date allows you to plan for quarterly patch testing. 

• What’s New: Check the Oracle Cloud Readiness page on a regular basis to stay up-to-date on new features, capabilities, and so on. 

  As a result, one should check on the features on a regular basis to stay up to date and identify upcoming upgrades, which also aids in the creation of test cases. 

• Opt-In Expiration: To plan for testing in the next quarterly release, be aware of the features that come under the “Opt-In Expiration” category.

• Regression test suites: Every quarterly patch includes the same checked scenarios. 

• Upgrade Specific: New quarterly patch-specific check cases, planned features, and capabilities in the quarterly patch 

• Expiration of Opt-In: Test cases for features that are automatically transferred to production from the previous release 

Test Automation tool: Opkey is a Game Changer for You!

Opkey is a no-code, user-friendly test automation software designed to streamline and simplify Oracle Cloud patch analysis. 

We provide complete testing services, employ AI-powered automation, and have a track record of boosting deployment quality while lowering assessment costs. 

We are suitable for organizations that want to enhance testing efficiency while reducing physical labor.

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