Enterprise systems must evolve continuously, yet traditional upgrades often introduce disruptive downtime.
IFS Cloud 25R2 introduces Near Zero Downtime (NZD) Deliveries, designed to minimize disruption while keeping systems modern, secure, and reliable.
The Challenge with Traditional Upgrades
Historically, applying updates to enterprise systems required outages ranging from minutes to hours.
The main cause was database-level changes that demanded exclusive access, forcing organizations to pause operations or delay upgrades.
Near Zero Downtime directly addresses this challenge.
Functional Perspective: What Users Experience
From a functional standpoint:
• Users continue working during most of the upgrade
• Business processes remain available during the apply stage
• Only a brief cutover window pauses the system
• Background jobs are intelligently managed to avoid conflicts
This ensures uninterrupted business operations.
Technical Foundation: Oracle Edition-Based Redefinition
NZD is built on Oracle Edition-Based Redefinition (EBR).
EBR allows multiple versions of database objects, called editions, to coexist enabling online upgrades.
Key technical concepts include:
• Editioning Views that act as stable interfaces to tables
• Cross-Edition Triggers that keep data consistent
• Clear separation of editionable and non-editionable objects
IFS has uplifted its Base Server Framework to be fully EBR-compliant, minimizing changes required to existing business logic.
The Three-Phase NZD Upgrade Model
1. Apply Stage
A new database edition is created and upgraded while users continue working.
- Cutover Stage
A short outage occurs to switch the system to the new edition. - Cleanup Stage
The system is online while obsolete objects are safely removed.
Tooling Support
IFS provides:
• EBR Readiness Tool to identify non-compliant code
• EBR Preparation Tool to automate required changes
• EBR Compliance Tool to ensure ongoing adherence
Background Job Handling
Background jobs are controlled across all phases:
• Jobs may run, defer, pause, or restart based on system state
• Non-critical jobs are postponed during upgrades
• Safe recovery occurs after cutover
Business Value
• Downtime reduced from hours to minutes
• Increased system availability
• Lower operational risk
• Faster adoption of new features
• Strong support for evergreen strategies
Conclusion
Near Zero Downtime Deliveries in IFS Cloud 25R2 bridge business continuity with technical innovation, enabling organizations to modernize continuously without disruption.
