SQL Server and Business Intelligence Platform Overview

The next version of SQL Server will probably ship in June 2016. SQL Server 2016 will deliver improvements for security, performance, change tracking, and other tasks. Future SQL Server releases will probably continue to alternate between releases focused on high availability and the core database engine and releases focused on other features, such as business intelligence, with gaps of two years in between.

SQL Server 2014 reached general availability on Apr. 1, 2014, and received SP1 in Apr. 2015, containing bug fixes and minor enhancements. The service pack should have been applied by July 12, 2016, in order to continue receiving support. SQL Server 2012 received SP3 in Dec. 2015 (containing bug fixes that improve performance, scaling, and troubleshooting features), which must be installed by Dec. 1, 2016 in order to continue receiving support. SQL Server 2008 and SQL Server 2008 R2 left Mainstream support on July 8, 2014, but received final service packs in Sept. 2014 that must be applied by Oct. 13, 2015, to continue receiving support.