Many things have changed since SQL Server 2005 – while it seems like an obvious statement (it was 10 years or so ago after all), SQL Server 2005 was a major release for SQL Server in terms of stability, applications and more. It seems like nearly every time we survey the community, or look at session and article traffic, SQL Server 2005 is still on the list of things people are interested in.
It’s time though. There are some solid options and tools for updating your SQL Server. And, of course, there are actually multiple options – from SQL Server as you may have it today to Azure to cloud-hosted options. Of course there are upgrade advisors as well that can help point the way to those areas that may have to be addressed in the update.
Here’s a link to the update and end of support page on Microsoft
The reasons to update are many – from performance to security to new features and options.
But one of the things I’ve seen surprising some clients is the fact that applications and departmental solutions may be using SQL Server 2005 (and SQL Server 2005 Express) as an “embedded” engine – included with applications that may not be clearly specifically using SQL Server. I’ve seen these types of issues with accounting applications, CRM solutions and others.
In these cases, the application was built or purchased, and it just “included” the database engine that it needed. So, in some of these cases, it may not be clear that SQL Server is part of the application environment. It may also not be clear that the version is 2005.
How do you get your systems to “fess up?” You’ll need to do a pretty thorough look at your systems, identify the applications and solutions being used and then talk with the vendors and teams that suppport those. Find out the versions of SQL Server in play and how they’re managed. Then you can start to work to find out what types of things need to happen for the migration.
Remember, different solutions may be using different instances, so be cautious as you start working through what’s using what. Auditing is something that many (most) people are doing on a grand basis. But there are still surprise applications and tools out there, and the “embedded” database is something that may be much less obvious being involved in the first place. But the audit, and fully understanding what’s out there in the systems you support is worth the effort.