Until now, one of the biggest problems with the ODA was with applying one-off patches on Oracle Homes for high-impact problems. The only supported patching of an ODA was by installing an ODA patch bundle which (could) include Oracle Database PSU’s. If you run into a bug that is fixed by a one-off patch, it is not guaranteed that this one-off patch will be part of the PSU that will be part of the next ODA patch bundle.
Oracle has created a workaround for the problem by allowing the application of one-off patches for problems with a very high impact. This does not mean you are allowed to just install all one-offs you find critical, but Oracle support (after internal discussion with ODA support and/or ODA development) can allow you to install certain one-offs.
The following impacts should be noted if considering applying a patch which does not exist in the ODA patchset
- Applying a one-off patch may overwrite existing code with unintended consequences
- One-offs are currently not supported: Test the steps and impact if considering one-offs
- The patch may be overwritten in future patchset applications
- The patch may not successfully apply
- Support may suggest waiting for the full OneCommand patchset
See a full description for applying one-offs on your ODA, the MOS document 1399055.1