Oracle requires everyone who purchases Primavera P6 to purchase one year of Oracle Support. Not everyone feels they need this support, but all Oracle representatives (Construction Science is an Oracle Gold Partner) are required to bundle support with every perpetual license. Note that I said “perpetual”. Once you purchase the software you own it forever. The support runs out after one year unless you renew. And once it expires you cannot purchase support again without buying another software license.
Oracle Support is 24/7 and covers both technical issues (installation, database issues, etc.) and application issues – i.e. how to use the software. Of course, if you take training from us you should never need help with the application side! Please visit our dedicated Primavera P6 training site (www.primaverascheduling.com) for details. But database issues can be notoriously difficult to resolve without professional assistance.
Two things to consider: (1) the cost of support drops each year, and (2) the support agreement entitles you to free upgrades to the latest version. This might make Oracle Support a worthwhile investment, especially for small firms that lack in-house IT or Primavera P6 expertise. I have seen firms spend thousands of dollars resolving issues that could have been handled by Oracle for a few hundred dollars per year.
There is another strategy you might consider. If you are planning to buy more Primavera P6 licenses in the future simply let the support agreements on existing licenses expire. You will have to purchase Oracle Support with any new licenses, after all, so if any technical or application issues arise in the future the new agreements will provide coverage. Carrying support agreements on every license becomes very expensive.
If you have any questions about Oracle Support please contact me.