5 Reasons We Aren’t Upgrading SQL Servers
… And why they aren’t very good reasons I mean. I’m writing this in 2019. On a site geared towards trying to help folks out of the cage that is…
Microsoft ended support for SQL Server 2008 on 9-July, 2019.
How much longer can you afford to wait?
Download our free upgrade guide:
If you’re running SQL Server 2008, you have three options. We’ve listed them below in the order we think generally makes the most sense…
Upgrade to one of the versions of SQL Server in current support and likely to be in support for some time to come. There have been 4 versions since SQL Server 2008 came out! A 5th, SQL Server 2019, is around the corner!
Microsoft is offering three years of extended security updates if you just want to stay put and pay for “support.”
Rehost your SQL Server 2008 and 2008 R2 instances in Azure SQL Database Managed Instance or move to Azure Virtual Machine.
Still unsure?
Our Expert Upgrade Assessment can help you sort out the best option.
SQL Server 2008 and R2 are finally getting the ax! Depending on your role, you may identify with one or more of these:
“It’s embarrassing to have to wait so long to raise your hand at a conference when they play the “Raise your hand if you are running SQL Server X in your shop game” By the time they get to SQL Server 2012, I always just hope they’ll still have SQL Server 2008. Sometimes I feel tempted to just raise my hand when they say SQL Server 2017! Plus all those new features. I mean, do you even remember database mirroring?!”
“Availability Groups would make our HA/DR strategy a lot easier. Those consultants keep talking about Availability Groups. They keep talking about security features and performance improvements. Plus the CFO and compliance execs are always beating me up about my 11-year-old databases at the board meetings.”
“They told us we needed SQL Server enterprise edition. Do you know how expensive that is? Someone told me that a few years ago, Microsoft let us use a lot of enterprise edition features in Standard, and we can even have 128GB of RAM now on standard. Hello!”
“I mean, I’m already using all the new tools, but I want new features, too! I mean just this month, Microsoft is finally letting me know what string or binary data would be truncated…. Well, not ME, of course not me. I’m sitting here working with SQL Server 2008. Anyway. I have to go. It’s time to go write a terrible string splitting function. I hear String_Agg is out there in SQL Server 2017. At least that’s what the other developers say. Have you heard of Query Store? I saw a demo of it once, so cool… “
“Wait… You mean we are running nonsupported versions of SQL Server still?! Haven’t you read these contracts, don’t you know our written internal security policy?! If only we had features to make our life easier with encryption or data masking. Well, at least we have V1 TDE that sort of works fine for us.”
“It went down again last night… Right in the middle of a customer call. The stupid tracking system went down. Those DBAs. They think we’re dumb. They use big words like parameter sniffing. Well I looked that up – that’s not even a problem anymore. That Query Store thing is helping folks fix those problems and even sometimes fix those bad plans by itself… I bet DBCC FREEPROCCACHE isn’t even a thing. It’s like when they used to tell me that thing wasn’t really a cup holder.”
… And why they aren’t very good reasons I mean. I’m writing this in 2019. On a site geared towards trying to help folks out of the cage that is…
We keep telling you why you shouldn’t stay on SQL Server 2008. What about reasons to do a SQL Server upgrade? Here are 6. #1 Hardware Refresh Time! What is…
So.. You are sitting there on SQL Server 2008 (yes, I’m talking to you on SQL Server 2008 R2 also!) Maybe you find yourself wondering, “Am I missing out on…