Updated: July 23, 2020 (November 21, 2018)

SQL Server 2008, 2008 R2 Migration Options

Andrew analyzes and writes about Microsoft's data management, business intelligence, and machine learning solutions, as well as aspects of licensing... more

Organizations should already have plans to migrate from SQL Server 2008 and 2008 R2, which reach the end of Extended support in July 2019.
A new option, Extended Security Updates, can prolong the life of SQL Server 2008 and 2008 R2 instances for an additional three years, but use cases are limited.
The hardest migration decision will be the destination, which determines future cost and support.
Robust backward compatibility and migration tools can help minimize changes and reduce disruptions.

SQL Server 2008 and 2008 R2 leave Extended support July 9, 2019. Remaining on a version past Extended support introduces risks, because Microsoft will generally not fix security vulnerabilities. This report covers the migration and upgrade options for SQL Server relational databases and database server instances, the most commonly used SQL Server components.

SQL Server 2008 and 2008 R2 also contain many other components and dependencies not discussed here that may influence the migration plan and add to the complexity, including the following:

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