Minor engine version updates and release notes for DuckDB analytic instances - ApsaraDB RDS

You can upgrade the minor engine version of your DuckDB-based analytical instance automatically or manually. Updates can improve instance performance, add new features, and fix security issues. This helps you continuously optimize your service and secure your database.

Release notes for DuckDB minor engine versions

Minor version	MySQL version	Description	Version expiration date
20251128	8.0.36	New features Supports converting InnoDB partitioned tables to DuckDB non-partitioned tables. DuckDB SQL supports parsing strings that start with `x` or `b`, such as `x'FF'` and `b'11111111'`. Supports storing `decimal` fields that have a precision of more than 38 digits as `decimal(38)` in DuckDB. Adds a switch to control whether cross-transaction batch commits are triggered by the reader, rollback, or length. Supports configuring the `duckdb_checkpoint_threshold` parameter to control the frequency of `DuckDB checkpoints`. Performance optimizations Optimizes the append efficiency for `Decimal` fields. Bug fixes Fixes an issue where SQL timeouts caused query results to be truncated. Fixes a community bug where `UNION ALL` execution unexpectedly hangs. For more information, see issue#19971. Fixes an issue of data duplication in the DuckDB secondary database when data is written in `duckdb_data_import_mode`.	—
20251104	8.0.36	New features Supports enabling cross-transaction batching in binary logging mode. Supports regular expression functions: `REGEXP`, `REGEXP_INSTR`, `REGEXP_LIKE`, `REGEXP_REPLACE`, `REGEXP_SUBSTR`, and `RLIKE`. Performance optimizations Optimizes the replication performance of writing data from DTS to a DuckDB-based analytical primary instance. Bug fixes Fixes a replication interruption issue caused by DDL statements that specify an algorithm. Supports converting BLOBs to the character type using CAST(blob as CHAR). Fixes an SQL error that occurs after a UNION operation is performed on fields with non-binary collation. Fixes an instance crash caused by an append operation. Fixes an issue where temporary tables remain after an engine conversion operation during the startup phase.	—
20250922	8.0.36	New features The DuckDB engine supports crash-safe binary logging. The `REPLACE` and `CREATE TABLE AS SELECT` statements are disabled in the DuckDB engine. The DuckDB engine supports the `json_unquote`, `json_contains`, and `json_contains_path` functions. Upgraded DuckDB to version 1.3.2. Performance optimizations Optimized the performance of loading compression algorithms in the DuckDB engine. Bug fixes Fixed an issue where the table type was incorrectly identified in recursive Common Table Expressions (CTEs). Fixed an issue where `duckdb_maximum_threads` did not take effect at startup. Fixed an issue where the DuckDB engine did not respond to a kill command during SQL execution.	—

Overview of minor engine version updates

You can update the minor engine version of a DuckDB-based analytical instance automatically or manually:

Automatic updates: By default, DuckDB-based analytical instances are configured to automatically update the minor engine version. You can view the automatic update settings on the Basic Information page. If the minor engine version of your instance is older than the latest version, the system periodically creates an O&M task to perform the update. The automatic update is performed within the maintenance window that you set.
Note
- Update task notifications are sent through channels such as text messages and emails. To receive these notifications, you must subscribe to ApsaraDB Fault or O&M Notification in the Message Center and set your contact information.
- You can cancel the O&M task at any time before it starts. For more information, see Scheduled events.
Manual updates: On the Basic Information page of the instance, you can change the update setting to Manual Update. If the current instance version has critical bugs, is expired, or is unpublished, an O&M task to update the engine version is also pushed to instances that are set for manual updates.

Warning

Automatic updates are a supplementary feature and do not guarantee that all instances are immediately updated to the latest engine version. You can check the engine version status on the Basic Information page of the instance and update the engine version promptly to avoid potential risks associated with outdated versions. If you cancel a system-initiated update task or fail to update to the latest stable version after receiving an update notification in the console, you are responsible for any resulting business interruptions, data loss, or other consequences. For more information, see Terms of Service.

Precautions

Updating the minor engine version may cause an instance switchover. Perform the update during off-peak hours or make sure your application has an automatic reconnection mechanism. For more information about the effects of an instance switchover, see Effects of an instance switchover.
You cannot downgrade the minor engine version after an update.
Automatic updates are performed within the maintenance window that you set. You can change the maintenance window on the Basic Information page of the instance.
Outdated engine versions may pose risks, such as service interruptions and data loss. We recommend that you update your minor engine version regularly or after you receive an O&M notification from Alibaba Cloud.
If an instance's engine version is unpublished or no longer maintained, it is automatically updated to the latest minor engine version when you upgrade or change the specifications of the instance, or when Alibaba Cloud upgrades the instance hardware.
Update tasks are not pushed to newly purchased instances. To update to the latest version, you can manually update the minor engine version on the Basic Information page of the instance.
The update process cannot be canceled after it starts. If the update fails, all changes are rolled back. The instance retains its previous engine version and metadata.
When an engine version meets the criteria for being unpublished, its status is set to offline, regardless of whether it is still within its lifecycle.

Change automatic update settings

Go to the Instances page. In the top navigation bar, select the region in which the RDS instance resides. Then, find the RDS instance and click the ID of the instance.
In the Configuration Information section, click Settings to the right of Minor Engine Version Auto-update.
Select Automatic Update or Manual Update, and then click OK.

Manually update the minor engine version

Go to the Instances page. In the top navigation bar, select the region in which the RDS instance resides. Then, find the RDS instance and click the ID of the instance.
In the Configuration Information section, click Update Minor Engine Version.
Note
If this button is not displayed, the minor engine version of your instance is up to date.
In the dialog box that appears, select a target version from the Upgradable To list and specify an Upgrade Time. Then, click OK.

View update progress and history

To view the update progress or minor version update history, log on to the Task Hub in the RDS console. You can view task details, including the task type, status, progress, start time, and end time. The task list page displays only tasks from the last 30 days, which include both automatic and manual updates. For more information, see Task Hub.

FAQ

Q: Why does the minor version number not change after an update when I check it by running `SELECT @@version`?

A: The update applies to the Alibaba Cloud minor engine version, not the MySQL engine version. You can run show variables like '%rds_release_date%' to query your minor engine version.

Q: Can I only upgrade one version at a time when I update the minor engine version?

A: You can upgrade to any supported minor version. The console lists the available options.

Q: What are the effects of a minor engine version update? Why does an instance switchover occur? Are there other critical risks?

A: To ensure service stability, the update follows a standby-first approach. After the standby instance is updated, your service is automatically switched over to it. There are no other critical risks. For more information about the effects of an instance switchover, see Effects of an instance switchover.

Q: I changed the specifications of my ApsaraDB RDS for MySQL instance. Why was the minor engine version also updated?

A: If the instance's engine version is unpublished or no longer maintained, it is automatically updated to the latest minor engine version when you upgrade or change the specifications of the instance, or when Alibaba Cloud upgrades the instance hardware.

Q: I enabled automatic minor engine version updates. Why has my instance not been updated?

A: An automatic update may not have occurred for the following reasons:

The proxy minor version is too low and must be updated first.
Automatic updates are scheduled O&M tasks. They are not performed immediately after a new version is released.

Q: Can I choose not to update the minor engine version? What are the consequences?

A: Yes, you can choose not to update the minor engine version. However, we strongly recommend that you update it regularly. If you continue to use an old version, you cannot use new features, receive security patches for known vulnerabilities, or benefit from official performance optimizations.