Quick Overview SQL Server Builds.
Date: 02/09/2013
Version: 0.1
By: Albert van der Sel
1. Quick Overview SQL Server Builds and Service Packs:
| Version: |
RTM |
SP1 |
SP2 |
SP3 |
SP4 |
| SQL Server 2012 |
11.00.2100.60 |
11.00.3000.00 |
11.00.5058.0 |
|
|
| SQL Server 2008 R2 |
10.50.1600.1 |
10.50.2500 |
10.50.4000 |
10.50.6000.34 |
|
| SQL Server 2008 |
10.00.1600.22 |
10.00.2531 |
10.00.4000 |
10.00.5500 |
|
| SQL Server 2005 |
9.00.1399.06 |
9.00.2047 |
9.00.3042 |
9.00.4035 |
9.00.5000 |
| SQL Server 2000 |
8.00.194 |
8.00.384 |
8.00.532 |
8.00.760 |
8.00.2039 |
RTM: Release To Manufacturer (No Service Pack).
2. Finding your SQL Version:
From a "query window" you can use:
SELECT @@VERSION
or:
exec xp_msver
or:
SELECT SERVERPROPERTY('productversion'), SERVERPROPERTY ('productlevel'),SERVERPROPERTY ('edition')
3. Overview SQL Server Builds and CU's:
Other folks created great listings of CU's and builds.
It's not garantueed that the most recent CU's are listed there, but the info is great.
Here are a few nice links:
sqlserverbuilds.blogspot.nl
www.sqlteam.com
blogs.msdn.com
4. Super Quick Overview of SQL Server Recent CU's:
Usually, you would only install the latest SP, since that is a larger collection of all sorts of fixes, updates, and fixes from the preceding CU.
The "CU's" published "in between" the SP's, are usually fixes for specific problems or specific application requirements.
So, the sequence usually resembles "SP1->CU1->CU2->CU3....CUn->SP2->CU1->CU2->CU3....CUn->SP3 etc.."
However, keep in mind that, like an SP, a CU is cumulative too, so, a later CU also contains the fixes from preceding CU's.
So, as an example, you could have "Cumulative Update #11 for SQL Server 2008 R2 Service Pack 1", meaning that it's the eleventh CU published
after 2008 R2 SP1. If you would be on 2008 R2 Service Pack 1, you could load that CU if you would have problems that are addressed by that CU.
However, most DBA's just waited for SP2 to have appeared, and installed that one, instead of CU's.
On 2 September 2013: