MSSQL 2005 is out of support, the end of an era

The end of an era: MSSQL 2005 is out of support

As of April 12, 2016, extended support on MSSQL 2005 has ended. This date has long been indicated by Microsoft and MSSQL 2005 is now officially a thing of the past.

What does this mean for my MSSQL 2005 environment?

The end of extended support does not mean that the software no longer works, or that the licenses have expired. Your database will continue to work. It only indicates that you cannot fall back on the Microsoft for any software problems. Any (security) issue that is still discovered will not be solved, but will be dismissed with “MSSQL 2005 is out of support, you will have to upgrade”. There are now reports on the internet that this is indeed the attitude of Microsoft.

So I can just continue working with 2005?

From an operational point of view this is possible, but keep in mind the following:

• This MSSQL version has not received any patches for almost 4 years and will not receive any more. All security related issues can only be solved by upgrading.
• That the technology has not stood still and that the performance in MSSQL 2014, for example, is at least 10x better, even with the same hardware.
• In addition, many new features have been added and many problems have been solved in MSSQL 2014; issues that will never be solved in MSSQL 2005.
• That you are dependent on the willingness of third parties for support, who can often only help you on a “best effort” basis. Microsoft won’t help you anymore.
• That the OS on which this MSSQL version runs is probably already out of support.

In short: you run a potential risk if you continue to work with this version.

Okay, I see the need to upgrade, what should be done?

Before you upgrade your environment, a number of factors should be taken into account:

• Is the application with which your MSSQL 2005 environment is linked also certified for a higher MSSQL version?
• What needs to be adjusted to my applications in order to implement the desired MSSQL upgrade?

These include:

• How is the connection to the database defined (eg text, XML, Java, registry)?
• Are there things in my database that stand in the way of an upgrade (eg integrity check, outdated settings)?

What about the costs?

This depends, among other things, on which choices you make. However, there are a number of factors that influence and that you should take into account:

• In principle you will always have to purchase new licenses for a higher version of your MSSQL software. It is of course possible that you have certain agreements with Microsoft that you may already have the necessary licenses for.
• Are you using the Standard or Enterprise Edition of MSSQL., or do you decide to switch editions?
  NOTE: When using Enterprise Edition, the license structure has changed.
• What does the server look like on which the new MSSQL version will run. Can the existing hardware still be used? Do you decide to replace this right away, are you going virtual or are you taking your database environment to the cloud?
• Do you also want to consolidate immediately? It may be worthwhile to use this upgrade at the same time to reduce the number of database servers and merge databases.

What now?

It is clear that you have to make choices and that these choices have consequences. Are you not yet sure which choice to make or do you want to spar with a specialist about which choice to make?
Call DBA.nl !

We would be happy to discuss with you to find a suitable solution.