Upgrading a Database To a new Version (Service Pack, Major Version, Hotfix)

There are usually three types of upgrades that can happen to the Act! Application & Database.
 
Hot Fixes
Hot fixes are application specific and do not require updates to the database. These are automatically applies to the servers in the hosted environment with no interaction required by the end users.

Service Packs/Minor Upgrade
Service Packs are larger upgrades to an existing version of Act!  A Service Pack can include new features as well as multiple bug fixes. Service Packs are not automatically applied to any database. A upgrade request must be made in order for a Act! database to be upgraded to a new service pack.
 
Major Version/ Major Upgrade
Major Version is when a database version is being upgrade to a new version of act. An example of this would be upgrading from version 18 to 19.  Major Upgrades are not automatically applied to any database. A upgrade request must be made in order for a Act! database to be upgraded to a new service pack.