Changes to Update Paths in SAS Viya

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SAS Viya continues to evolve, offering organisations flexibility in how they manage software updates. As part of this ongoing refinement, changes have been introduced to update paths for the Long-Term Support (LTS) cadence. These adjustments impact how customers can perform updates and maintain their SAS Viya LTS environments. By staying informed and aligning update strategies with business needs, customers can maximise the value of SAS Viya while minimising potential issues and disruptions.

Reviewing The Two Update Cadences

Long-Term Support (LTS)

Designed for stability and predictability.
Updates are less frequent but include critical fixes and security patches.
Ideal for enterprises that require a consistent and well-tested environment over an extended period.

Stable

Provides access to the latest features and improvements more frequently.
Allows customers to take advantage of innovations as they become available.
Suitable for organisations that prioritise agility and staying up to date with the latest advancements in SAS Viya.

What’s Changing?

Recent adjustments to the update process affect how customers can move to newer LTS versions. These changes aim to reduce the likelihood of problems and ensure smoother transitions when updating software.

Update paths are documented for supported versions: The SAS Viya Platform Administration Guide's Versions in Standard Support page explicitly lists support levels for versions of SAS Viya as well as supported update pathways. Check the documentation prior to each update, to ensure you are aware of latest versions released as well as those dropped from standard support.

Example upgrade paths for 2025.02

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LTS Update Paths: A new policy has been officially adopted, requiring customers to follow a sequential update process when updating LTS versions. Skipping LTS releases is no longer supported. For example, customers on LTS 2023.03 must update to LTS 2023.10, then LTS 2024.03, and then LTS 2024.09 in sequence. Each update must follow pre-update checklists, review deployment notes, and assess the What’s New documentation to ensure compatibility and a smooth transition.

Kubernetes Version Considerations: Customers must verify Kubernetes version compatibility when updating SAS Viya. Certain Kubernetes version required by LTS releases may be unsupported or on extended support for a given cloud provider.

What This Means for Customers

Organisations should review their update strategies in light of these changes. Whether your priority is long-term stability or continuous feature updates, understanding the refined update paths will help ensure a seamless experience with upgrading your SAS Viya deployment.

For full details on these changes, including technical requirements and best practices, refer to the updated documentation.

My thanks to Edie Jeffreys for her contributions.

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