Overview of Spotfire Releases – Innovation and LTS (Long-Term Support)
There are two types of Spotfire release tracks: Innovation and Long-Term Support (LTS). As a Spotfire administrator, it is very important that you understand the differences before you choose what type is best suited for you and your users.
- Innovation releases are frequent; currently approximately four times per year, and were introduced to accelerate the availability of new features for customers who want access to the latest improvements and enhancements as quickly as possible. Hotfixes and service packs are released only for the latest version, so Innovation version users should plan to always upgrade to each new version as soon as it is released.
- Long-Term Support releases are less frequent; typically every 12-18 months, and they are usually supported with Hotfixes and service packs for 2 years. This approach provides an option more suited for strictly regulated environments, or for customers who prefer a fully supported environment for an extended period of time, with only service pack upgrades.
No matter what type of release track, upgrades are cumulative and backwards compatible. If you are on the Innovation track, it does not matter if a new version is LTS or Innovation. The upgrade process is the same, and you simply continue your standard process of upgrading to the latest version as it becomes available.
For the Spotfire Server, you can only upgrade to a release that was made public simultaneously or later in time than the release version you are upgrading from. This also applies to service packs; that is, you cannot upgrade from 14.0.5 LTS (released September 2024) to 14.3.0 (released April 2024).
The following table highlights the various differences between Innovation and Long-Term Support versions.
| Innovation versions | LTS versions | |
| Release frequency | A new Innovation version is released approximately four times per year. | A new LTS version is typically released every 12-18 months. |
| Support (access to open support cases) | Innovation versions continue to be supported for at least 12 months after the next version (either LTS or Innovation) becomes available. | LTS versions are typically supported for at least 2 years. |
| Extended support (access to open support cases, past End-of-Support date) | Extended support is not available. | Extended support for an LTS version can be purchased.
Note: Hotfixes and service packs are not created for
versions in extended support.
|
| Hotfixes and service packs | Hotfixes and service packs are provided for high severity issues, at Spotfire discretion, for the latest Innovation version only. They might instead be released as part of the next Innovation version if that release is imminent. | Hotfixes and service packs are provided for high severity issues, at Spotfire discretion. |
| Upgrades | Innovation versions can be upgraded from one version to the next. | LTS versions can be upgraded from one LTS version to the
next LTS version.
It is also supported to upgrade the latest LTS version to any later Innovation version. |
| Downloads | Only the latest Innovation version is generally available
for download from the
TIBCO eDelivery site.
Access to older versions can be requested on the eDelivery site. |
Only the latest LTS version is generally available for
download from the
TIBCO eDelivery site.
Access to older versions can be requested on the eDelivery site. |
Version status
Spotfire® 7.11 LTS was the first version of the software to be designated a Long-Term Support (LTS) version, and Spotfire® 7.12 was the first Innovation version. For information about versions from before the introduction of LTS and Innovation (i.e., before version 7.11), please refer to the End of Support Information for TIBCO Product Versions.
| Version | Release date | Type | Currently supported with hotfixes and service packs | Can open support cases |
| 14.5 | Planned (March 2025)* | LTS | N/A | N/A |
| 14.4 | June 2024 | Innovation | Yes | Yes |
| 14.3 | April 2024 | Innovation | No | Yes (until June 30, 2025) |
| 14.2 | March 2024 | Innovation | No | Yes (until April 30, 2025) |
| 14.1 | December 2023 | Innovation | No | Yes (until March 31, 2025) |
| 14.0 | November 2023 | LTS | Yes | Yes |
| 12.5 | June 2023 | Innovation | No | Yes (until November 30, 2024) |
| 12.4 | April 2023 | Innovation | No | No (expired July 31, 2024) |
| 12.3 | March 2023 | Innovation | No | No (expired April 30, 2024) |
| 12.2 | December 2022 | Innovation | No | No (expired March 31, 2024) |
| 12.1 | October 2022 | Innovation | No | No (expired January 31, 2024) |
| 12.0 | July 2022 | LTS | No | Yes (until October 31, 2025) |
| 11.8 | March 2022 | Innovation | No | No (expired July 31, 2023) |
| 11.7 | February 2022 | Innovation | No | No (expired March 31, 2023) |
| 11.6 | November 2021 | Innovation | No | No (expired March 31, 2023) |
| 11.5 | September 2021 | Innovation | No | No (expired December 31, 2022) |
| 11.4 | June 2021 | LTS | No | Yes (until November 30, 2024) |
| 11.3 | April 2021 | Innovation | No | No (expired June 30, 2022) |
| 11.2 | March 2021 | Innovation | No | No (expired April 30, 2022) |
| 11.1 | December 2020 | Innovation | No | No (expired March 31, 2022) |
| 11.0 | November 2020 | Innovation | No | No (expired January 31, 2022) |
| 10.10 | June 2020 | LTS | No | No (expired July 31, 2023) |
| 10.9 | April 2020 | Innovation | No | No (expired July 31, 2021) |
| 10.8 | February 2020 | Innovation | No | No (expired April 30, 2021) |
| 10.7 | January 2020 | Innovation | No | No (expired March 31, 2021) |
| 10.6 | October 2019 | Innovation | No | No (expired January 31, 2021) |
| 10.5 | September 2019 | Innovation | No | No (expired October 31, 2020) |
| 10.4 | June 2019 | Innovation | No | No (expired September 30, 2020) |
| 10.3 | May 2019 | LTS | No | No (expired June 30, 2022) |
| 10.2 | March 2019 | Innovation | No | No (expired June 30, 2020) |
| 10.1 | February 2019 | Innovation | No | No (expired March 31, 2020) |
| 10.0 | November 2018 | Innovation | No | No (expired March 31, 2020) |
| 7.14 | August 2018 | Innovation | No | No (expired December 31, 2019) |
| 7.13 | June 2018 | Innovation | No | No (expired September 30, 2019) |
| 7.12 | March 2018 | Innovation | No | No (expired September 30, 2019) |
| 7.11 | November 2017 | LTS | No | No (expired July 31, 2021) |
Last updated: 12-16-2024