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Why am I seeing an error message trying to deploy custom fields?

Environment: 

During an Oracle B2C Service update.

Issue:

I receive an error "<custom field function name> cannot be called during site upgrade" when trying to deploy changes to custom fields.

Examples:

• account_cf_create cannot be called during site upgrade
• incident_cf_update cannot be called during site upgrade

Resolution:

• Custom field deployment is not allowed on production for 7 days prior to update cutover. Note that you can delay cutover should you need to make a critical change to custom fields when you are in an update cycle.  You should delay cutover by at least one week or even longer for larger sites especially if your site is configured to have the pre-site created early.
• Custom field deployment is not allowed on the upgrade site since changes are not carried over from upgrade to production and testing custom field deployments is not part of UAT.
• The Post State after cutover includes steps that alter the database schema for many large tables. While this type of operation is expected to take a long time for a single server, it then needs to be replicated to other servers within the cluster. This is even before considering hardware and load implications from other traffic.
• Note: We have seen the 25A version upgrade take longer throughout our infrastructure than some previous upgrades. Larger sites appear to be disproportionately affected given the nature of the changes. Our Development team has been made aware of this for future considerations, however, there is currently nothing about this upgrade that is defective behavior.

For more information on failover refer to Answer ID 8923: Custom Objects & Custom Field Deployment Basics.

While this answer specifically covers custom field deployments, it is worth noting that while the database is undergoing schema modifications associated with an update other schema-related activities are blocked and may prompt similar warnings (custom objects, element manager imports, etc...)

Note: Oracle recommends waiting approximately one week after every production cutover to create a new test site or refresh an existing one. That week provides sufficient time for the production post-cutover processes to be completed. The post-processes begin twenty-four hours after cutover and they typically require several hours to complete. Not waiting the recommended time may result in a faulty test site as it may capture an unfinished update/upgrade process, hence affecting future operations including but not limited to custom object deployments. 

For more information on how to verify the Update Process Status refer to Answer ID 11232: Update Process Status in Configuration Assistant

For more information on refreshing a test site after an update refer to Answer ID 11234  Refreshing Test Sites After Oracle B2C Service Update