Updated: July 14, 2020 (October 28, 2013)

Important Dates for SQL Server

As managing vice president, Rob Helm covers Microsoft collaboration and content management. His 25-plus years of experience analyzing Microsoft’s technology... more

SQL Server 2008 R2 requires SP2 by Oct. 8, 2013, for continued support. Shown here are important upcoming support dates for recent versions of SQL Server.

Hotfixes or other support for SQL Server 2005 will require a paid support contract. With the release of SQL Server 2012, it will probably become progressively more difficult to maintain SQL Server 2005; recent Microsoft application versions are not compatible with it and newly discovered security vulnerabilities might go unpatched, as has happened with older versions of Windows and Exchange. Consequently, organizations running SQL Server 2005 should have migrated by now.

Customers running SQL Server 2008 R2 should now have SP2 applied, as it is required for support.

Customers running SQL Server 2008 should have SP3 applied.

Customers running SQL Server 2012 will need to apply SP1 by Jan. 14, 2014, in order to continue receiving support.

Date	Version	Event
Jan. 14, 2014	SQL Server 2012	SP1 required for support

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