Providing updates, modifications, and security fixes to Oracle software products is called Oracle patching. Oracle Corporation frequently publishes patches to resolve software flaws, bugs, and performance problems in its database, middleware, and application solutions.
Patches are required whether you are using Oracle E-Business Suite (EBS) on-premises or in a Cloud application environment. Oracle’s most smooth method of introducing novelty is patching. A patch issued to upgrade your current system may be required at any time during the life cycle of an Oracle application for various reasons.
Use cases for patches include:
- Resolving a persistent problem
- Including a new function or feature
- Raising the maintenance standard
- Implementing product improvements
- Creating compatible technology stacks
- Determining the source of the problem
- Applying for assistance depends on whether it is a patch update to the database, the system files, or both.
- Depending on your system design, you can apply several patches.
How to Reduce the Risk of Patching
How can you decrease testing time without risking severe production flaws? Here are some suggestions. A comprehensive impact analysis is recommended for major fixes that modify database items. It’s usually a good idea to prioritize tests depending on usage.
Consider these recommendations while looking for automated solutions to evaluate and manage the impact of your release:
Adopt solutions that support Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI) and On-Premise infrastructure. You might be surprised to learn that managing change on cloud infrastructure is frequently simpler than on-premise systems. Users of cloud infrastructure can create one instance to do pre-production impact assessments because instance cloning is simple. On-premise customers, however, must conduct separate impact evaluations for each environment—Dev, QA, and Production.
- Look for solutions that can analyze the impact as well as release change. An automated method uses your test catalog to narrow the scope of your test plan. A large number of the changes in a release won’t affect the business procedures utilized in production. By delivering a laser-focused testing methodology, scoping the release with this level of accuracy will save precious time and effort without sacrificing quality.
- A test library is used by an automated solution to reduce the scope of your test plan. Many of the changes in a release will have little effect on production business processes. By delivering a centered testing method without sacrificing quality, scoping the release at this level of accuracy will save critical time and effort.
Automated Testing Solution for Oracle Patch Testing
The perfect testing solution should be straightforward, easy to implement, and give real value to testers and business customers. Otherwise, expect significant delays. Choose a testing solution that assists you in defining the test scope for each update and minimizes testers’ work locating the appropriate tests. Opkey reduces the effort required by the functional analysts’ compliance team and business users. Opkey for Oracle integrates your business and IT activities, automates testing, and speeds up patching and customization while maintaining uncompromising quality. Opkey is a leader in this field and has completed over 100 successful Oracle projects.
