Hi @ZTC ZTC JGOTA,
The upgrade process from 24R2 to 26R1/26R2 is generally different from the traditional Apps 9 → Apps 10 style upgrades that many of us are familiar with.
For IFS Managed Cloud customers, the upgrade is normally performed in a separate non-production environment first, using a copy of the customer's data. The upgrade activities, technical validation, and customer testing are carried out on that upgraded environment before any production cutover is considered. Therefore, it is not typically a case of directly upgrading the live production environment. The production environment remains on the current release until the customer has completed testing and approved the move to the target version. This aligns with how IFS Cloud Lifecycle and Release Update processes maintain separate tracks for assessment, testing, and deployment.
Regarding the Lifecycle environment, IFS Cloud uses the Application Lifecycle Experience (ALE) and Release Update mechanisms. In practice, the upgrade work is usually performed through a separate release-update branch and upgraded environment rather than by immediately replacing the existing Lifecycle setup. The current customer environment continues to operate on the existing release while impact assessments, release update activities, and testing are performed on the upgraded version. Only after successful validation and customer acceptance is the upgraded solution promoted toward production.
For more information refer to: 26R1 - Impact Assessment and Release Update Assessment | IFS Community
For the testing timeline, the upgraded environment is typically made available after the initial technical upgrade and validation activities have been completed. This environment is then used for functional testing, regression testing, integration testing, reporting validation, and verification of customizations and configurations. The exact timing varies considerably depending on factors such as database size, number of integrations, level of customization, reporting landscape, data volume, and any remediation work required due to functional or technical changes between releases. Because of these variables, there is no universally applicable duration from project start to test-environment availability. The best source for an estimate is usually the IFS Upgrade Project Team or Cloud Operations team assigned to the specific engagement.
One best practice I would strongly recommend is to start reviewing the 26R1/26R2 Release Notes, Technical Documentation, Upgrade Considerations, and Deprecation Information as early as possible. Pay particular attention to customizations, integrations, reporting solutions, permission sets, and any technology changes introduced in 25R2 and later releases, especially areas related to Near-Zero Downtime (NZD), EBR compliance, and other platform-level enhancements that may require uplift activities before the final upgrade.
