Is it possible to downgrade the HANA revision?

[Former Member]

I searched the available documentation, but this was nowhere mentioned. When patching the SAP HANA database server, the old revision binaries are kept. Is it possible to downgrade your freshly patched HANA database server back to the previsous revision? Or is this impossible?

[Former Member · Accepted solution]

Not unless you restore the database to a version before you upgraded. Once you start HANA against an older database, it updates it and that is a one way street.

[Former Member]

I already tried ./hdbupd –ignore=check_version which is a bad idea. The downgrade runs but fails in the end when restarting the database:

SAP HANA Database Installation Manager - Database Upgrade 1.00.30.362803

************************************************************************

Select a SAP HANA Database installation:

No | System | Version

-----------------------------

0  | HDB    | 1.00.32.363548

1  | None   | (Abort upgrade)

Specify the sequence number of the system to be upgraded: 0

Enter System Administrator (hdbadm) Password:

Checking upgrade...

Checking installation...

Extracting software...

Updating package 'Python Support' ...

Updating package 'Python Runtime' ...

Updating package 'Product Manifest' ...

Updating package 'Binaries' ...

Updating package 'Lexicon' ...

Updating package 'Languages' ...

Updating package 'Installer' ...

Updating package 'Ini Files'...

Updating package 'Documentation' ...

Updating package 'DAT Languages' ...

Stopping system...

Starting system...

ERR: Upgrade failed

ERR:   error upgrading

ERR:     Cannot start system

ERR:       Start instance 40 on master host usssapl1 failed.

ERR:         FAIL: process hdbindexserver HDB Indexserver not running

Log file written to '/var/tmp/hdb_HDB_upgrade_2012-09-07_09.01.04/hdbupd.log'

The file indexserver_usssapl1.34003.062.trc provides some more feedback:

[9359]{0}[0] 2012-09-07 09:22:33.629078 e indexserver  TREXIndexServer.cpp(00536) : exception  1: no.71000003  (ptime/query/catalog/catalog.cc:1120)

    Downward auto migration is not supported. : from 1.00.32.363548 to 1.00.30.362803

NO exception throw location recorded. Stack generation suppressed.

assign failed with: fatal error. stopping service...

So is there any supported way to downgrade a HANA database?