>>> [!note] Migrated issue <!-- Drupal.org comment --> <!-- Migrated from issue #3118766. --> Reported by: [effulgentsia](https://www.drupal.org/user/78040) >>> <p>See <span class="drupalorg-gitlab-issue-link project-issue-status-info project-issue-status-7"><a href="https://www.drupal.org/project/drupal/issues/3109340" title="Status: Closed (fixed)">#3109340: [policy] Decide whether to require json support for all database drivers for Drupal 10</a></span>.</p> <p>For Drupal 9, all core-supported databases (mysql, mariadb, postgresql, sqlite) will be required to be at versions that support JSON. This means that as early as 9.1, we might add JSON features to Drupal's database API. Therefore, contrib drivers will need to be able to support that.</p> <p>Per <span class="drupalorg-gitlab-issue-link project-issue-status-info project-issue-status-5"><a href="https://www.drupal.org/project/sqlsrv/issues/3113753" title="Status: Closed (won't fix)">#3113753: Can the SQL Server minimum be raised to 2016 for Drupal 9?</a></span>, the SQL Server driver will require version 2016 in order to support that.</p> <p>For Oracle, it looks like <a href="https://docs.oracle.com/database/121/NEWFT/chapter12102.htm#NEWFT505">12.1 is the first version to support JSON</a>.</p> <p>According to <a href="http://www.oracle.com/us/support/library/lifetime-support-technology-069183.pdf">http://www.oracle.com/us/support/library/lifetime-support-technology-069183.pdf</a>, Premiere support for Oracle 11 ended in Jan. 2015 and extended support for Oracle 11 will end Dec. 2020.</p> <p>According to <a href="https://groups.drupal.org/node/535810">https://groups.drupal.org/node/535810</a>, Drupal 9.0 is planned to be released either June 2020 or August 2020, and either way, 9.1 is planned to be released December 2020.</p> <p>I think it would make the most sense for the Oracle driver to explicitly require 12.1 in the first release of this driver that's marked as compatible with Drupal 9, even if that occurs before Dec. 2020, since site owners expect platform requirement changes during a major upgrade, but might not expect it once they've already upgraded to the latest major Drupal version. However, since core won't actually make use of JSON database features until 9.1, adding the requirement to the Oracle driver could be delayed until Dec. 2020 if there's a need to ride out the remaining extended support of Oracle 11.</p>