diff --git a/java/com/google/gerrit/server/restapi/change/DeleteChange.java b/java/com/google/gerrit/server/restapi/change/DeleteChange.java
index aec1373..ef19c56 100644
--- a/java/com/google/gerrit/server/restapi/change/DeleteChange.java
+++ b/java/com/google/gerrit/server/restapi/change/DeleteChange.java
@@ -27,7 +27,6 @@
 import com.google.gerrit.server.permissions.PermissionBackend;
 import com.google.gerrit.server.permissions.PermissionBackendException;
 import com.google.gerrit.server.update.BatchUpdate;
-import com.google.gerrit.server.update.Order;
 import com.google.gerrit.server.update.RetryHelper;
 import com.google.gerrit.server.update.RetryingRestModifyView;
 import com.google.gerrit.server.update.UpdateException;
@@ -59,7 +58,6 @@
     try (BatchUpdate bu =
         updateFactory.create(rsrc.getProject(), rsrc.getUser(), TimeUtil.nowTs())) {
       Change.Id id = rsrc.getChange().getId();
-      bu.setOrder(Order.DB_BEFORE_REPO);
       bu.addOp(id, opFactory.create(id));
       bu.execute();
     }
diff --git a/java/com/google/gerrit/server/restapi/change/DeleteChangeOp.java b/java/com/google/gerrit/server/restapi/change/DeleteChangeOp.java
index 6f035b6..05de507 100644
--- a/java/com/google/gerrit/server/restapi/change/DeleteChangeOp.java
+++ b/java/com/google/gerrit/server/restapi/change/DeleteChangeOp.java
@@ -14,8 +14,6 @@
 
 package com.google.gerrit.server.restapi.change;
 
-import static com.google.common.base.Preconditions.checkState;
-
 import com.google.gerrit.extensions.restapi.MethodNotAllowedException;
 import com.google.gerrit.extensions.restapi.ResourceConflictException;
 import com.google.gerrit.extensions.restapi.RestApiException;
@@ -29,7 +27,6 @@
 import com.google.gerrit.server.project.NoSuchChangeException;
 import com.google.gerrit.server.update.BatchUpdateOp;
 import com.google.gerrit.server.update.ChangeContext;
-import com.google.gerrit.server.update.Order;
 import com.google.gerrit.server.update.RepoContext;
 import com.google.gwtorm.server.OrmException;
 import com.google.inject.Inject;
@@ -66,12 +63,12 @@
     this.id = id;
   }
 
+  // The relative order of updateChange and updateRepo doesn't matter as long as all operations are
+  // executed in a single atomic BatchRefUpdate. Actually deleting the change refs first would not
+  // fail gracefully if the second delete fails, but fortunately that's not what happens.
   @Override
   public boolean updateChange(ChangeContext ctx)
       throws RestApiException, OrmException, IOException {
-    checkState(
-        ctx.getOrder() == Order.DB_BEFORE_REPO, "must use DeleteChangeOp with DB_BEFORE_REPO");
-
     Collection<PatchSet> patchSets = psUtil.byChange(ctx.getNotes());
 
     ensureDeletable(ctx, id, patchSets);
diff --git a/java/com/google/gerrit/server/update/BatchUpdate.java b/java/com/google/gerrit/server/update/BatchUpdate.java
index 0ed031e..06397d7 100644
--- a/java/com/google/gerrit/server/update/BatchUpdate.java
+++ b/java/com/google/gerrit/server/update/BatchUpdate.java
@@ -127,55 +127,20 @@
       List<com.google.common.util.concurrent.CheckedFuture<?, IOException>> indexFutures =
           new ArrayList<>();
       List<ChangesHandle> handles = new ArrayList<>(updates.size());
-      Order order = getOrder(updates, listener);
       try {
-        switch (order) {
-          case REPO_BEFORE_DB:
-            for (BatchUpdate u : updates) {
-              u.executeUpdateRepo();
-            }
-            listener.afterUpdateRepos();
-            for (BatchUpdate u : updates) {
-              handles.add(u.executeChangeOps(dryrun));
-            }
-            for (ChangesHandle h : handles) {
-              h.execute();
-              indexFutures.addAll(h.startIndexFutures());
-            }
-            listener.afterUpdateRefs();
-            listener.afterUpdateChanges();
-            break;
-
-          case DB_BEFORE_REPO:
-            // Call updateChange for each op before updateRepo, but defer executing the
-            // NoteDbUpdateManager until after calling updateRepo. They share an inserter and
-            // BatchRefUpdate, so it will all execute as a single batch. But we have to let
-            // NoteDbUpdateManager actually execute the update, since it has to interleave it
-            // properly with All-Users updates.
-            //
-            // TODO(dborowitz): This may still result in multiple updates to All-Users, but that's
-            // currently not a big deal because multi-change batches generally aren't affecting
-            // drafts anyway.
-            for (BatchUpdate u : updates) {
-              handles.add(u.executeChangeOps(dryrun));
-            }
-            for (BatchUpdate u : updates) {
-              u.executeUpdateRepo();
-            }
-            for (ChangesHandle h : handles) {
-              // TODO(dborowitz): This isn't quite good enough: in theory updateRepo may want to
-              // see the results of change meta commands, but they aren't actually added to the
-              // BatchUpdate until the body of execute. To fix this, execute needs to be split up
-              // into a method that returns a BatchRefUpdate before execution. Not a big deal at the
-              // moment, because this order is only used for deleting changes, and those updateRepo
-              // implementations definitely don't need to observe the updated change meta refs.
-              h.execute();
-              indexFutures.addAll(h.startIndexFutures());
-            }
-            break;
-          default:
-            throw new IllegalStateException("invalid execution order: " + order);
+        for (BatchUpdate u : updates) {
+          u.executeUpdateRepo();
         }
+        listener.afterUpdateRepos();
+        for (BatchUpdate u : updates) {
+          handles.add(u.executeChangeOps(dryrun));
+        }
+        for (ChangesHandle h : handles) {
+          h.execute();
+          indexFutures.addAll(h.startIndexFutures());
+        }
+        listener.afterUpdateRefs();
+        listener.afterUpdateChanges();
       } finally {
         for (ChangesHandle h : handles) {
           h.close();
@@ -212,25 +177,6 @@
         projectCounts);
   }
 
-  private static Order getOrder(
-      Collection<? extends BatchUpdate> updates, BatchUpdateListener listener) {
-    Order o = null;
-    for (BatchUpdate u : updates) {
-      if (o == null) {
-        o = u.order;
-      } else if (u.order != o) {
-        throw new IllegalArgumentException("cannot mix execution orders");
-      }
-    }
-    if (o != Order.REPO_BEFORE_DB) {
-      checkArgument(
-          listener == BatchUpdateListener.NONE,
-          "BatchUpdateListener not supported for order %s",
-          o);
-    }
-    return o;
-  }
-
   private static void wrapAndThrowException(Exception e) throws UpdateException, RestApiException {
     Throwables.throwIfUnchecked(e);
 
@@ -283,11 +229,6 @@
     public CurrentUser getUser() {
       return user;
     }
-
-    @Override
-    public Order getOrder() {
-      return order;
-    }
   }
 
   private class RepoContextImpl extends ContextImpl implements RepoContext {
@@ -364,7 +305,6 @@
 
   private RepoView repoView;
   private BatchRefUpdate batchRefUpdate;
-  private Order order;
   private OnSubmitValidators onSubmitValidators;
   private PushCertificate pushCert;
   private String refLogMessage;
@@ -391,7 +331,6 @@
     this.user = user;
     this.when = when;
     tz = serverIdent.getTimeZone();
-    order = Order.REPO_BEFORE_DB;
   }
 
   @Override
@@ -425,11 +364,6 @@
     return this;
   }
 
-  public BatchUpdate setOrder(Order order) {
-    this.order = order;
-    return this;
-  }
-
   /**
    * Add a validation step for intended ref operations, which will be performed at the end of {@link
    * RepoOnlyOp#updateRepo(RepoContext)} step.
diff --git a/java/com/google/gerrit/server/update/BatchUpdateListener.java b/java/com/google/gerrit/server/update/BatchUpdateListener.java
index 847a7ca..765bba1 100644
--- a/java/com/google/gerrit/server/update/BatchUpdateListener.java
+++ b/java/com/google/gerrit/server/update/BatchUpdateListener.java
@@ -19,8 +19,6 @@
  *
  * <p>When used during execution of multiple batch updates, the {@code after*} methods are called
  * after that phase has been completed for <em>all</em> updates.
- *
- * <p>Listeners are only supported for the {@link Order#REPO_BEFORE_DB} order.
  */
 public interface BatchUpdateListener {
   public static final BatchUpdateListener NONE = new BatchUpdateListener() {};
diff --git a/java/com/google/gerrit/server/update/Context.java b/java/com/google/gerrit/server/update/Context.java
index aa17032..c24c650 100644
--- a/java/com/google/gerrit/server/update/Context.java
+++ b/java/com/google/gerrit/server/update/Context.java
@@ -86,13 +86,6 @@
   CurrentUser getUser();
 
   /**
-   * Get the order in which operations are executed in this update.
-   *
-   * @return order of operations.
-   */
-  Order getOrder();
-
-  /**
    * Get the identified user performing the update.
    *
    * <p>Convenience method for {@code getUser().asIdentifiedUser()}.
diff --git a/java/com/google/gerrit/server/update/Order.java b/java/com/google/gerrit/server/update/Order.java
deleted file mode 100644
index fb64b7b..0000000
--- a/java/com/google/gerrit/server/update/Order.java
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,34 +0,0 @@
-// Copyright (C) 2017 The Android Open Source Project
-//
-// Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
-// you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
-// You may obtain a copy of the License at
-//
-// http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
-//
-// Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
-// distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
-// WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
-// See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
-// limitations under the License.
-
-package com.google.gerrit.server.update;
-
-/** Order of execution of the various phases of a {@link BatchUpdate}. */
-public enum Order {
-  /**
-   * Update the repository and execute all ref updates before touching the database.
-   *
-   * <p>The default and most common, as Gerrit does not behave well when a patch set has no
-   * corresponding ref in the repo.
-   */
-  REPO_BEFORE_DB,
-
-  /**
-   * Update the database before touching the repository.
-   *
-   * <p>Generally only used when deleting patch sets, which should be deleted first from the
-   * database (for the same reason as above.)
-   */
-  DB_BEFORE_REPO;
-}