Upgrading in 6 months is not necessarily ideal, but the University of Houston System was able to do so with a small number of issues. The success of our rapid upgrade was only successful due to the collaboration between the functional, technical, and Database Administrator teams. Meeting weekly and checking in frequently is essential.
Below are some lessons learned and things to consider as you move along with your upgrade.
- How users navigate was a BIG deal. We moved forward with Fluid instead of the classic view and users really missed the breadcrumbs. After go-live we found a way to use Fluid “and have your breadcrumbs too”.
Follow the link below for more details on how to configure the navbar to appear in the new look of version 9.2.
https://docs.oracle.com/cd/E80738_01/pt854pbh2/eng/pt/tflu/task_ConfiguringTheNavBarToAppearInTheClassicPortalHeader.html#topofpage
- Missing data in tables – We discovered missing data in tables that had to be re-instated, due to the way the delivered upgrade scripts were written. The technical team had to make updates to prevent it and secondary DMS/SQL was also written to re-instate the data.
- Change Management – We could have marketed and spread the word to the university community sooner.
- Training – We did find a unique way to get the word across to the university community by conducting live online demonstrations of the new navigation for faculty and system administrators. We also provided user guides and access to the live online demonstrations for those individuals who could not attend the demonstration.
For those who have upgraded, would you have any lessons learned to add?