Updating from 17.

I am in the middle of a feature film and editing while we shoot. Our time line is kind of slow because we shoot only on weekends. I feel my system is not working as well because I have not updated to Davinci Resolve 18 at all. My questions are: Is it safe to update in the middle of a project? And, where could I find a very detailed break down of how to do it. I am not a computers guy and this update seems like heavy lifting for me. If I lost our footage and stuff it would kill me and so many people have worked really hard on this with me. Please Help. Thanks guys and gals.
We have 47 minutes of edited filming completed and have about that much to go. I'm running an AMD Ryzen 9 3900X 12 core 4.6 GHz Turbo, ASUS Prime X570-P, 128 GB DDR 3600 that I am running at 3400 because id got crazy at 3600 and would not work, I'm shooting 4.6k with the G2. I have the Cloud Pod, I need to install a 10 GB ethernet and I have a Mercury Elite dual raid with 32 TB to utilize as well, was not sure if I needed that. Thanks again

never update in the middle of a project!

Second that. The last version of 17 was a very stable one.

never update in the middle of a project!

I see that advice often, even from staff.

I don't think it's very practical for Resolve users, who may always be "in the middle of" multiple projects.

Is it safe to update in the middle of a project?

I've been doing that since I started using Resolve at version 12, mostly because there are always ongoing projects. (Bad government policy regarding disease changed that, but you get the idea. Lucky editors will never have a time "between projects".)

SOP for updating/upgrading is to backup your Databases/Libraries, and export .drp's of any current/important projects. This allows you to downgrade Resolve should things go weird.

Keep those backups in two locations, ideally one off site. Dropbox, Google Drive, One Drive, etc. are good options for this, keeping one copy locally and one in the cloud. Externals are also good choices for a second backup.

A grading house would probably finish an ongoing project in the current version and then start new projects on the new version of Resolve. They have the luxury of multiple grading stations and are simultaneously risk-averse to things going weird. I do agree with Jim that for a one-man shop, and if you understand the risks, upgrading in the middle of your projects might be feasible. I think the 'understanding the risks' part is where people get stung. I can imagine changes to Resolve that would screw-up titles (such as the white-point change in 18.1 vs 18.0.4 which only affected new projects, but you might mix projects in a deliverable and that would make the two parts incompatible - just an example). If you are willing to redo some of the project then you should be fine...

Some of the wisest words ever spoken: "If it works, do NOT fix it"

Troy, only you can answer the question as to whether you are ever not in the middle of a project, but I'm with Mark and Uli, in that, updating in the middle of a big project when you don't absolutely have to is a needlessly crazy move. As Bruce says, if it's not broke, don't 'fix' it. You say that you feel your system is not working as well because you haven't updated to v18. That's not really how updates work. Is there a specific function that has been added and/or improved in the later versions that you have particular need of for your current project? Do you have a second workstation on which you could install the updated version, to give you parallel access to that feature, whilst keeping the main workstation ticking along as is? If not, then sure, you may want to consider updating. And if that's where you're headed, then please do follow the advice here to make database backups before you proceed. Assuming that your project is an important one, and doubly so if you can't afford the downtime that you might face in the very unlikely event that something actually goes seriously wrong, you might also want to consider doing a full system clone prior to the update. It's good practice. The ability to simply revert to a fully functional system in case of any critical failure shouldn't be underestimated. That said, in my experience, touch wood, fingers crossed etc etc, Resolve updates have never caused me any catastrophic issue (I cant say the same for some other NLEs).

Caveat for that last 'never caused me' line, and all of the above... my main workstation is currently still running 17.4.3. Myself, I've been busy with back to back projects, the system has been rock solid, and nothing in the original version 18.0 releases interested me enough and/or addressed any of my actual needs enough to warrant the update. But the recent 18.1 releases have finally brought some long overdue quality of life improvements that do make it worth my while... so at the end of my current project, I do finally intend to update Resolve on my main machine to the latest release.

Thanks Gentlemen, staying put for now sounds like the best advice. Appreciate the responses.