Most Hyperion / Oracle EPM shops tend to drag their feet when the topic of upgrading comes around. It's OK, you're in good company! Upgrading can be a difficult process, depending upon which Hyperion modules you have and how far behind in versions you are.
(Disclaimer: If all you have is just Essbase, upgrading is super easy. Otherwise, upgrading can be a "project")
If your EPM environment is version 11.1.2.3 or older, chances are high you're hosted on Windows Server 2008 R2. While I'm not afraid of UNIX, most Hyperion implementers seem to be, and thus the vast majority of EPM environments I've seen are Windows-based. Furthermore, just over half tend to use SQL Server rather than Oracle for their back-end relational databases.
So, this blog post is directed to the community who is using SQL Server 2008 or SQL Server 2008 R2 for their Hyperion environments.
Surrender, Dorothy, and upgrade!
As you prepare your capital budget for fiscal 2018, make sure you include a Hyperion system upgrade. Here's why:
Microsoft Extended Support ends for SQL Server 2008 R2 on July 9, 2019
If you wait until the last minute to plan your upgrade -- that is to say, sometime in 2019 -- you will likely have to wait in line. Us EPM on-premises infrastructure consultants will be busier than a roofing contractor after a thunderstorm rolls through town.
Now is the perfect time to plan your on-premises Hyperion upgrade. Oracle Sales is heavily pushing their Cloud offerings, so the pace of new on-premises implementations is decreasing. This means you could get a good deal on an upgrade project between now and 3rd Quarter 2018.
