Mainstream Support for SQL Server 2005 is due to expire in a few months, which means that no new patch work will be performed on that version for the general public. Some people might sign extended support agreements, but most won't. If you are unsure of whether you should, this blog post might help you understand the implications of not having an extended support agreement.

There have been quite a few blogs, tweerts, etc. about this date, asking people to  consider upgrades to SQL Server 2008 or SQL Server 2008 R2. It is good to see some awareness being brought to the situation, since many DBAs do not think about their version falling out of support, and assume they can get patches from Microsoft at any time.

They can't, but does it matter? I know there are still plenty of people running SQL Server 2000 right now and it performs well. They have stable applications, and stable hardware, and with virtualization, they could potentially run stand-alone systems on old versions of Windows or SQL Server forever. I even know of people still running SQL Server 7, or SQL Server v6.5 today in support of some applications.

If you have a stable codebase, and your application has been running on SQL Server 2005, or even SQL Server 2000, I don't think that support timelines necessarily mean you should upgrade. At some point you should upgrade, to ensure you can take advantage of new connection technologies, or better security, or some other feature, but not just because support is ending.

Evaluate your environment, and upgrade when you think it benefits your business and you get value from the new version. Otherwise you are allowing your budget to be managed by someone else, on their timetable, not yours.

Steve Jones

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