But as you suggest going between major version (ie v11.x to v12.x) may involve a bit more effort. This will especially be the case when the software itself has had major updates. Often between major software updates things like DB schemas can change significantly - to the point of the software not working until the DB is updated. Often there are 'migration' scripts available from upstream which will help you out there (by changing the DB layout to be compatible with the new version).
Moving between minor versions should prove no issue
But as you suggest going between major version (ie v11.x to v12.x) may involve a bit more effort. This will especially be the case when the software itself has had major updates. Often between major software updates things like DB schemas can change significantly - to the point of the software not working until the DB is updated. Often there are 'migration' scripts available from upstream which will help you out there (by changing the DB layout to be compatible with the new version).