When is the Best Time to Apply AD & TXK

Patches?
Steven Chan 
SENIOR DIRECTOR
E-Business Suite 12.2's Online Patching feature allows you to apply patches
to your environment while it is still running. For example, you can apply
patches to Financials while your end-users are entering bills in Accounts
Receivable. These patches are applied using our Applications DBA (AD) and
EBS Technology Stack (TXK) tools.

A reader recently asked whether it's advisable to apply our latest EBS 12.2.7
update at the same time as our  AD-TXK Delta 10 updates. This is a great
question, since it touches on both our goals for our AD and TXK tools as well
as our internal testing practices for new updates and patches.

The short answer: You should apply the latest AD and TXK infrastructure
tools in an initial patching cycle, and then apply EBS updates and patches
(e.g. EBS 12.2.7) in a later patching cycle.
Why?
There are two reasons:

1. Latest AD/TXK tools are better. The latest AD and TXK tool

updates always include new patching-related features, as well as
critical fixes for stability, security, and performance. For example, the
September 2017 AD and TXK Delta 10 updates included new features
 for parallel index optimization, seed data handling, synchronization of
theme files on cutover, and more.
 
If you have the latest patching tools in place, the latest AD/TXK
enhancements, improvements, and fixes reduce risk during the
patching process itself. 
 
2. Updates are always tested with the latest AD/TXK tools.  We do
not generally have the resources to test new EBS patches with older
patching tools. We always test the installation of our latest EBS
updates (e.g. EBS 12.2.7) using the latest AD and TXK patches
available at the time. In other words, you may encounter unexpected
issues if you apply new patches using older patching tools.
Do new AD and TXK patches trigger functional re-testing?
New AD and TXK patches do not change any aspects of how EBS functional
products work.  These infrastructure tools affect how patches are applied, not
how patches work.  
In other words, having the latest AD/TXK updates may reduce the risk of
applying, say, a new HRMS patch, but it will not affect any Human Resources-
related functionality at all.
Likewise, applying the latest AD/TXK update does not affect the functionality
of any existing EBS products. Infrastructure tools only affect the patching
process, not how installed EBS products work. 
How do I find the latest AD and TXK tools?
Check the following reference:

 Applying the Latest AD and TXK Release Update Packs to Oracle E-

Business Suite Release 12.2 (Doc ID 1617461.1)
You should periodically check Document 1617461.1 on My Oracle Support for
updates, which are made as required. For example, new bundled fixes or
critical one-off patches may become available, or the release update packs
may be superseded by newer versions.
Related Articles
 Oracle E-Business Suite 12.2.7 Now Available
 September 2017 Updates to AD and TXK for EBS 12.2 Now
Available