Three Places to Get Information On New Updates for SQL Server

There are many consistently hot topics around SQL Server. One such topic is, “How does a DBA obtain the latest information on updates?” In this post, I will discuss three places that I frequent for information on SQL Server updates.

The first link I want to discuss is http://sqlserverbuilds.blogspot.com/. This site gives you a very comprehensive page of data. Initially there will be a summary grid that lists a SQL Server release down the left side and across the top will be release names like RTM, SP1, SP2, etc. Inside the grid will be the corresponding release number for a particular release and that release number will be a link to the corresponding download.

Below that summary grid will be similar grids for individual releases. The difference is that in the grids for individual releases the reader will find links to hotfixes, cumulative updates and service packs. There is a grid for each release go back to SQL Server 7.0 and there are even links to 6.5 and 6.0 builds! This site does not have an RSS subscription option.

The next link is http://sqlserverupdates.com/ and is maintained by the people of BrentOzar.com. If you are not familiar with them, they are a consulting company started by Brent Ozar, Kendra Little and Jeremiah Peschka. Kendra and Jeremiah recently departed the company to pursue other interests, turning the reigns over solely to Brent Ozar.

This site goes back to SQL Server 2005. The matrix provided shows the reader the SQL Server version, then the latest updates and when support ends for that version. There is a separate link for updates other than the latest one for each edition. Clicking the link for Other SQL 2014 Updates, for example, opens a separate page that shows much the same information as the edition grids on http://sqlserverbuilds.blogspot.com/. On this site there is also a FAQ that addresses things like what is the difference between a hotfix, cumulative update and a service pack. This site does have an option to subscribe to notifications about new updates for SQL Server.

The last link is http://blogs.msdn.com/b/sqlreleaseservices/. It is written by the SQL Server Engineering Team. Rather than being organized in a grid style, this site lists information chronologically as posts are written and published. As a result, there is a mixture of posts about the various edition releases all on the same page as separate blog posts. Readers can subscribe with Live Bookmarks.

If you think you don’t need to concern yourself with keeping up to date on SQL Server patches, then please take a look at this post.

I hope this has been helpful and I wish you happy patching!