You cannot upgrade an archive database. However, you can downgrade an SAP ASE that includes archive databases.
If you load a database dump from an older version of SAP ASE onto an archive database hosted on a newer version of SAP ASE, the database is not internally upgraded when you execute online database.
If you upgrade an SAP ASE containing an archive database, all the databases except the archive databases are upgraded. The archive database remains on the older version of SAP ASE.
SAP recommends you reload the archive database with a dump generated from an already upgraded database.
For more information about upgrading SAP ASE, see the installation guide for your platform.