At the
end of this year (2015), Hatchgate Software will discontinue support for SQL
databases that are still using the old Microsoft SQL 2005 database engine (SQL
Server version 9.x). From 2016, the minimum supported SQL engine will be
SQL 2008 (SQL Server version 10.x) and above.
Only a
few customers are affected – most customers are already using SQL 2008 and
higher. This notice will only affect you if you are using very old server
hardware that is likely to be running Windows Server 2003 (inc. SBS version),
or if you have a pc (acting as a server) and it is running Windows XP or
Windows Vista. Any servers running Windows Server 2008 or higher, and
pc’s (acting as servers) running Windows 7, Windows 8 will already be using
Microsoft SQL 2008 or higher.
The
reason for the change is that as Microsoft release newer database engines (e.g.
SQL 2012 is now available), it is becoming increasingly difficult to continue
support for old versions. You can check what version of SQL you are using
by opening the SQL Server Management Studio icon (usually within the
‘Hatchgate’ folder on the desktop) on your server machine (or pc acting as a
server). On the splash screen and on the login screen, it will say ‘SQL
2005’ or ‘SQL 2008’ etc.
Please
contact me if you are still unsure what version of SQL you are using, or if you
want to discuss the implications of this change.
