Microsoft periodically sunsets support and requiring upgrades.
Each version of SQL Server is backed by a minimum of 10 years support, which includes five years in mainstream support, and five years in extended support:
- Mainstream support includes functional, performance, scalability and security updates.
- Extended support includes only security updates.
End of support (also sometimes known as end of life) indicates that a product has reached the end of its lifecycle, and servicing and support is no longer available for the product.
The most imminent is the end of support (EOS) for SQL Server 2014, with an EOS date of July 9, 2024. Mainstream support stopped back i 2019. After the EOS date, Microsoft will no longer provide patches or security updates, potentially resulting in security and compliance issues for applications that still runs on SQL 2014, and soon extended support will also end…
The EOS event presents an opportunity to evaluate migrating and modernizing SQL Server workloads to the cloud for enhanced operational excellence and innovation velocity.
