The Greenplum Database gpupgrade utility allows in-place upgrades from a major Greenplum Database 5.x version to a later 6.x major release. The cluster architecture and node count remain the same between version 5.x and 6.x. The upgrade does not require the time-consuming backup and restore typically used for major version upgrades. The gpupgrade utility removes the need for additional hardware and upgrade time through in-place upgrades.

gpupgrade is not used for Greenplum minor version upgrades (for example from 6.9 to 6.10), because minor version upgrades do not change system tables and require only a software update.

Greenplum Upgrade includes several key features:

• pg_upgrade and upstream workflow compatibility: Greenplum Upgrade is based on PostgreSQL pg_upgrade which removes the need for specific or unique logic. It is also compatible with upstream workflow.

• Crash-only” Idempotence: If an error occurs during upgrade, it is possible to address it and simply re-run upgrade.

• Data migration scripts: Greenplum Upgrade generates scripts to modify certain objects that pg_upgrade cannot upgrade.

• Step-By-Step Workflow: The user interface walks you through step-by-step providing next actions to perform, along with suggestions for when errors occur.

• Revert option: You can revert the environment during the upgrade process to its initial state.