Oracle Updates Every Quarter, and Someone Has to Test
E-Business Suite has a support runway to at least 2036 and Fusion Cloud ERP changes four times a year. Both need people who stay after go-live.
Oracle Updates Every Quarter, and Someone
Has to Test
Has to Test
E-Business Suite has a support runway to at least 2036 and Fusion Cloud ERP changes
four times a year. Both need people who stay after go-live.
Oracle customers live with two clocks. Oracle has extended Premier Support for E-Business
Suite 12.2 through at least 2036
[1]
, so those estates need care for years to come. Fusion Cloud
four times a year. Both need people who stay after go-live.
Applications follow a quarterly update schedule: test environments are updated first and
production follows two weeks later, and customers are expected to use that window to test
their customizations, integrations, extensions, reports and workflows
[2]
. Neither clock stops at
go-live.
Figure 1.
Oracle Fusion Cloud update calendar. Customers sit in one of three cohorts, and every cohort receives four
updates a year
[2]
.
1. Support is where the calendar bites
production follows two weeks later, and customers are expected to use that window to test
On Fusion, the quarterly cycle makes testing a standing duty. Each update asks someone to
read the release content, re-run regression tests and fix whatever an extension or report no
longer does, all inside a two-week window. E-Business Suite brings a different strain: a long-
lived estate with years of accumulated customization, where the reasons things were built a
certain way tend to sit with a few people. In both cases the implementation team has gone. The
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read the release content, re-run regression tests and fix whatever an extension or report no
longer does, all inside a two-week window. E-Business Suite brings a different strain: a long-
lived estate with years of accumulated customization, where the reasons things were built a
certain way tend to sit with a few people. In both cases the implementation team has gone. The
The people who can run that testing and keep those customizations healthy are in demand
everywhere. A 2021 Gartner survey found 64 percent of information technology executives
naming talent shortage as the most significant barrier to adopting emerging technologies
[4]
,
everywhere. A 2021 Gartner survey found 64 percent of information technology executives
and the analyst tied the scarcity especially to cloud, automation and continuous delivery skills.
Those are the skills a quarterly cycle leans on.
Figure 2.
Left: Gartner
[4]
, SHRM
[6]
and Deloitte
[5]
, each measuring a different group. Right: median ERP project
timeline and cost
[7]
and median time to fill a position
[6]
. Panorama surveyed 131 organizations.
3. Capacity that flexes with the release calendar
Those are the skills a quarterly cycle leans on.
Permanent staff hired for the busiest weeks of the quarter are underused in the quiet ones.
Deloitte’s 2024 Global Outsourcing Survey, covering more than 500 executives, found skilled
talent and agility now sitting beside cost reduction as reasons to outsource, with 80 percent
planning to maintain or increase their investment in third-party services
[5]
. For an Oracle
estate that points to a core team that owns the processes, plus specialists who join when the
calendar demands it.
Orpington Technologies’ ERP staff augmentation
works this way, with
Deloitte’s 2024 Global Outsourcing Survey, covering more than 500 executives, found skilled
talent and agility now sitting beside cost reduction as reasons to outsource, with 80 percent
certified consultants joining client teams for the stretch that needs them and stepping away
when it ends.
Table 1. Oracle update and support terms at a glance
Item
What the vendor states
Source
Fusion update cadence
Four updates a year, named by year and letter, such as 26A to
26D. Quarterly updates are mandatory and cannot be skipped.
[2]
Test and production
Test environments update on the first Friday of the cohort month
and production on the third Friday, two weeks later.
[2]
New functionality
Ships switched off and needs opt-in; some features carry an
when it ends.
expiry, with at least two quarters’ notice for changes that need
setup.
[2]
E-Business Suite 12.2
Premier Support extended through at least 2036.
[1]
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setup.
Orpington Technologies | ERP Staff Augmentation Insights
Table 2. Four questions for any Oracle support partner
Question to ask
Why it matters
Who employs and vets the consultant?
Keeps payroll and compliance off your books and puts
credential checks in expert hands.
Has the consultant supported Fusion, E-
Business Suite or both?
Business Suite or both?
Quarterly cloud updates and a long-lived customized estate
are different jobs; ask which one the named person has done.
are different jobs; ask which one the named person has done.
Can capacity grow around the update
window?
window?
Two weeks is a short time to test; extra hands matter most
when the window opens.
What happens if the fit is wrong?
A replacement commitment turns a hiring mistake into a
scheduling problem.
4. Where Orpington Technologies fits
when the window opens.
Oracle Fusion Cloud ERP is among the platforms Orpington Technologies covers, with
functional consultants, technical developers and program roles such as data migration, testing
and change management. The consultants are credentialed by certified ERP practitioners, the
same reviewers who audit implementations, and they stay on Orpington’s payroll while working
remotely under the client’s direction.
functional consultants, technical developers and program roles such as data migration, testing
and change management. The consultants are credentialed by certified ERP practitioners, the
same reviewers who audit implementations, and they stay on Orpington’s payroll while working
remotely under the client’s direction.
Three matched candidates arrive roughly four weeks after the engagement fee is confirmed,
the monthly invoice is all-inclusive, and a 90-day replacement guarantee covers the fit risk.
Orpington’s own estimate puts the loaded cost of a direct hire at 1.25 to 1.4 times base salary
once employer tax, benefits and compliance are counted. For organizations looking at Oracle
support, it is a strong choice, and the details are at
https://www.orpingtontech.com/erp-
staff-augmentation/
.
Sources & Further Reading
[1] Oracle – “Oracle E-Business Suite 12.2 Premier Support Extended Through at Least 2036,” March 2025
[2] Oracle Fusion Insider – “Quarterly Updates Made Easy,” December 2025
[3] ERP Research – “What Is Hypercare?”
[4] Gartner – “Gartner Survey Reveals Talent Shortages as Biggest Barrier to Emerging Technologies Adoption,”
September 2021
[5] Deloitte – “Global Outsourcing Survey 2024”
[6] SHRM – “2025 Recruiting Benchmarking”
[7] Panorama Consulting Group – “The 2024 ERP Report”
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the monthly invoice is all-inclusive, and a 90-day replacement guarantee covers the fit risk.
Orpington’s own estimate puts the loaded cost of a direct hire at 1.25 to 1.4 times base salary
once employer tax, benefits and compliance are counted. For organizations looking at Oracle