Market Driven Support is Oracle’s new offering as part of their support timeline designed for eligible Oracle customers who need additional time to modernize or transition their enterprise applications after the standard Premier Support period. This service offering is a hybrid form of support provided by Oracle Development in conjunction with Advanced Customer Services (ACS). It helps organizations maintain business continuity by providing access to selected technical support services and critical updates while they execute their long-term modernization strategy.
Oracle Market Driven Support is not your typical Oracle Extended Support but can be used in the spirit of planning early for your EBS modernization and mitigate any support gaps upfront. Keep in mind that MDS coverage is better than Sustaining Support but much less comprehensive than Premier Support.
Unlike Premier Support, Oracle Market Driven Support is not intended as a permanent support model. Instead, it serves as a temporary solution for organizations that require additional time to complete initiatives such as:
Key Takeaways
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For organizations running mission-critical Oracle E-Business Suite (EBS) applications, Oracle Market Driven Support (MDS) offers more than just extended technical support. It provides the flexibility needed to modernize at a pace that aligns with business priorities while reducing the risks associated with rushed upgrades or migrations.
Market Driven Support gives eligible organizations additional time to complete ERP upgrades, cloud migrations, or digital transformation initiatives without immediately losing access to essential Oracle support services.
Modernizing enterprise applications is a complex undertaking that often spans several months or years. MDS helps minimize operational risk by providing continued access to critical technical support and selected security updates while organizations execute their modernization roadmap.
Instead of rushing into a large-scale ERP transformation, organizations can modernize in phases. This allows teams to prioritize business-critical initiatives, optimize customizations, and carefully validate upgrades before deployment.
Many organizations have invested heavily in Oracle E-Business Suite through customizations, integrations, and business process optimization. Market Driven Support helps protect these investments while businesses determine the most appropriate long-term modernization strategy.
Rather than making technology decisions based solely on support deadlines, organizations can align ERP modernization with business objectives, budgets, resource availability, and strategic priorities.
Organizations planning to migrate to Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI) or Oracle Fusion Cloud Applications can use Market Driven Support as a bridge, helping ensure business continuity while migration activities are completed.
Attempting to accelerate an ERP upgrade simply to maintain support can introduce unnecessary risks, project delays, and operational disruptions. Market Driven Support provides organizations with additional time to plan and execute a more controlled transition.
Service Components
Limitations, Restrictions and Exclusions
Oracle MDS is a means to mitigate some of the risks of losing Premier Support while clients strategize for their next move: upgrading or moving to the cloud. While MDS is far from being as comprehensive as Premier Support, it does help somewhat close the support gap and buy time for organizations. As mentioned earlier, Oracle does charge for the MDS service, and it’s purchasable on an annual basis, meaning costs can reach half a million dollars in the long run.
| Feature | Premier Support | Market Driven Support |
|---|---|---|
| Critical security patches | ✓ | ✓ (limited scope) |
| Severity 1 & 2 fixes | ✓ | ✓ |
| New certifications | ✓ | Limited |
| New product features | ✓ | ✗ |
| Legislative updates | ✓ | Selected updates only |
| Best suited for | Organizations on supported releases | Organizations needing additional time to modernize |
The question in everyone’s mind interested in purchasing Market-Driven Support is how much it costs. Unfortunately, and true every time, is that there’s no straightforward answer to what the specific Oracle Market-Driven Support cost actually is.
What we can give you is a ballpark estimate. While it varies from client to client, specifically depending on each client’s EBS annual support, it can range from an extra $25K to $225K.
The cost of Oracle Market Driven Support varies based on several considerations, including:
Oracle Market Driven Support (MDS) is not automatically available to every Oracle customer. It is a specialized support offering designed for eligible products and releases that have transitioned beyond the standard Premier Support period but continue to meet Oracle’s program requirements. Before considering Market Driven Support, organizations should confirm that both their Oracle environment and support agreements satisfy Oracle’s current eligibility criteria.
Although eligibility varies by product and Oracle’s published support policies, organizations are typically good candidates for Market Driven Support if they:
Organizations often assume that Market Driven Support is simply an extension of Premier Support. In reality, Oracle offers MDS as a targeted bridge for customers who need additional time to modernize their environments. Verifying eligibility early helps organizations:
If your current Oracle environment does not qualify for Market Driven Support, there are still several options to consider:
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Despite being available for several years, Oracle Market Driven Support is often misunderstood. The following myths can lead organizations to make decisions that may not align with their long-term ERP strategy.
Reality: While Market Driven Support provides access to selected technical support services, it does not offer the same breadth of coverage as Premier Support. Services such as new product features, broad certification updates, and certain enhancements are generally not included.
Reality: Market Driven Support is intended as a temporary bridge—not a permanent alternative to modernization. Organizations should use this period to plan and execute an upgrade, cloud migration, or broader ERP transformation.
Reality: Eligibility depends on Oracle’s published support policies, supported product releases, licensing requirements, and other program-specific criteria. Organizations should verify eligibility before assuming Market Driven Support is available.
Reality: While delaying an upgrade may reduce short-term implementation costs, organizations should evaluate the total cost of ownership. Continuing to maintain legacy environments can increase operational expenses, technical debt, and future modernization costs.
Reality: Many organizations use Market Driven Support strategically while executing phased cloud migrations, infrastructure modernization, or large-scale ERP transformation initiatives. It provides flexibility to complete these projects without compromising business continuity.
Reality: Market Driven Support provides additional time—not a long-term solution. Organizations should continue developing a clear modernization roadmap to ensure they transition to a supported Oracle platform before Market Driven Support ends.
There is a niche of clients who are interested in moving to the cloud without having to pay for MDS, and we know it’s a lingering question for many whether this can actually be done.
To that we say, yes, you can stay on older versions of EBS and move directly to SaaS without having to purchase MDS. But it’s not as simple. There are a lot of risks in doing so and it’s strongly recommended that you don’t take this approach as you may be exposing your hefty EBS investment and the wellbeing of your business to costs and unwanted risks which could cost you millions of dollars.
Instead, the recommendation is to pay for MDS, and either upgrade to EBS R12.2 or migrate to Oracle SaaS solutions as it’s really unwise to upgrade or migrate with only Sustaining Support.
For many EBS clients, staying on-premises is the right choice while for others, the right choice is to move to the cloud. When having that conversation and looking at everything that needs to be done when migrating to the cloud, one cannot leave out Market Driven Support out of the equation.
Market Driven Support is Oracle’s temporary solution for those on-premises clients that haven’t upgraded their EBS yet. Oracle in collaboration with Advanced Customer Services (ACS), devised Market Driven Support as part of their offering to bridge the gap for those clients that would lose support.
Many clients are using MDS as a way to plan their EBS upgrade and mitigate support gaps. Still, there are many clients who have no clear path for upgrading or that haven’t purchased MDS.
1. What is Oracle Market Driven Support?
Oracle Market Driven Support (MDS) is a specialized support offering that provides eligible Oracle customers with continued access to selected support services after Premier Support ends, giving organizations additional time to modernize or migrate their Oracle applications.
2. How is Oracle Market Driven Support different from Premier Support?
Premier Support includes Oracle’s full range of technical support, security updates, certifications, and product enhancements. Market Driven Support provides a more limited set of support services and is intended as a temporary bridge while organizations complete their modernization initiatives.
3. Who is eligible for Oracle Market Driven Support?
Eligibility depends on Oracle’s published support policies and applies to specific Oracle products and releases. Organizations must also meet Oracle’s licensing and support requirements to qualify.
4. Does Oracle Market Driven Support include security updates?
Yes. Eligible customers continue to receive selected critical security updates and technical support services as defined by Oracle’s Market Driven Support policy for the applicable product.
5. How much does Oracle Market Driven Support cost?
Pricing varies based on factors such as the Oracle products covered, licensing, existing support agreements, and the duration of support required. Oracle determines pricing based on each customer’s specific environment.
6. Is Oracle Market Driven Support a permanent solution?
No. Market Driven Support is designed as a temporary support option that allows organizations to continue operating their Oracle environment while planning and executing a long-term modernization strategy.
7. Should my organization choose Market Driven Support or upgrade?
The right choice depends on your business objectives, modernization timeline, budget, and technical requirements. Organizations planning a phased modernization may benefit from Market Driven Support, while others may find an immediate upgrade to a supported release more advantageous.
8. Can I migrate to Oracle Cloud while using Market Driven Support?
Yes. Many organizations use Market Driven Support while migrating to Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI) or transitioning to Oracle Fusion Cloud Applications, helping reduce operational risk during the migration process.
9. What happens after Oracle Market Driven Support ends?
Once Market Driven Support ends, organizations must transition to another supported option, such as upgrading to a supported Oracle release, migrating to Oracle Cloud, or moving to Oracle Sustaining Support, depending on Oracle’s support policies.
10. How do I know if it is right for my organization?
If your organization needs additional time to complete an ERP upgrade, cloud migration, or modernization initiative without disrupting business operations, Market Driven Support may be an appropriate option. Evaluating your ERP roadmap and consulting with an experienced Oracle partner can help determine the best approach.
