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End of Life Support for SQL Server 2008/ 2008 R2: Plan Your Migration Now

👤 Andrew Jackson | Modified: May 8th, 2023|migration, SQL | 5 Minutes Reading

Say Goodbye to SQL Server 2008 & 2008 R2 as Microsoft Drops Support for it

Warning! If your organization is using Microsoft SQL Server 2008 R2, then you have entered into the Microsoft world of ‘End of Extended Support’. Actually, SQL Server 2008 and 2008 R2 are in the extended support phase of their life cycle. What does this term mean for enterprises using SQL Server 2008 R2? Keep reading this article to know more.

Recently, Microsoft announced SQL Server 2008 R2 extended support will end on July 9th ,2019. It means Microsoft will not accept requests for warranty, its change system support, changes in design, or new features during extended support phase. In short, no security updates for any version of SQL Server 2008 or R2 will be released.

The mainstream support was already ended for SQL Server 2008 and SQL Server 2008 R2. Adding to it, Windows Server 2008 and 2008 R2 will be no longer supported by Microsoft on Jan, 2020. Although, extended support will continue for a while, so it is the right time to take steps to upgrade the SQL Server 2008 version for high protection and risk management.

In this post, readers will learn the planning required for a successful migration to a new version of SQL Server and Windows Server. Well, before we delve into the migration plan for SQL Server 2008 and R2, let’s have a brief idea what actually ‘End of Extended Support’ is!

End of Extended Support – Know The Real Meaning

Every single product has its own life cycle. Extended Support is the last phase of any product life span. When an extended support ends, there will be no new features and security updates provided to that product.

As a result, the organization body that still using SQL Server 2008 after the end of support will have a great risk for its data. Because cyber attacks become more active on unsupported versions that have a great risk on security and compliance. Therefore, it is highly recommended to the customers either they upgrade to a newer version of SQL Server or move to different platforms for better performance and high security.

Advantages & Disadvantages of Not Upgrading SQL Server Version

Here, users will know the pros as well as the cons of SQL Server 2008/2008 R2 end of support;

Benefits of Upgrading MS SQL Server 2008 and 2008 R2

  • Once the users upgrade its SQL Server 2008 version to the new one such as Microsoft SQL Server 2017. It will automatically result in enhanced data security and encryption too.
  • Microsoft offers upgrades plan using data migration assistant
  • If the users have a new advanced version of SQL Server such as SQL Server 2017, the performance will be improved rapidly.

Drawbacks of Not Upgrading SQL Server 2008

  • Once the extended support deadline will over. The users will no longer able to receive any security updates for SQL Server 2008 and 2008 R2.
  • Users data could be at high risk after the end of extended support for SQL Server 2008.

What are the Migration Options Available For SQL Server 2008 Users

Microsoft offers extended security updates options for the users who need more time for the migration. This option will help the users to manage their database for three more years after the end of support deadline.

Depending on the requirement ,you have three migration options for the users who are using SQL Server 2008 and SQL Server 2008 R2.

  1. Move or Migrate SQL Server 2008 Workloads to Azure
    • Microsoft Azure is a cloud-based service and best alternative for the users who are working with SQL Server 2008. The users can easily replatforming their server with Azure Virtual machines without any cost.
    • Under the Extended Security Updates, no additional charges would be taken by the users. Also, they can use their current license and save 55 % on migration to Azure using Azure Hybrid Benefit.
    • Users can also use SQL Server to Azure Database Migrator to move SQL database from SQL Server 2008 to Microsoft Azure database.
  2. Migrate to New SQL Server Version 2017
    • Another option is to upgrade SQL Server 2008 to the new version of SQL Server 2017. The advanced version provides reliability, enhanced performance, and tight security.
    • Users can also buy the extended security updates for the SQL Server or Windows Server 2008 or 2008 R2 after the end of support. So, the organization has three years to manage their workload.
    • Users only need to pay for the servers that are required annually. Ultimately, when they upgrade, it reduces the cost factor.
    • Or one can go with SQL Server Database Migrator Tool to migrate database from SQL Server 2008 to 2017 & its below versions.
  3. Migrate to Amazon RDS
    • Users can also migrate their workload from SQL Server 2008 to Amazon RDS databases. The Amazon Relational Database Service (or Amazon RDS) is a web-based service that creates a relational database in the cloud platform.
    • In order to move database from SQL Server 2008 to Amazon RDS, users can go with the SQL Server to Amazon RDS Migrator software. It is designed to move all the data from SQL database to AWS RDS. Moreover, the tool widely supports Microsoft SQL Server 2017 and all below edition.

Summing Up

Coming July 2019, extended support for Microsoft SQL Server 2008 and 2008R2 will end by the Microsoft. Hence, new security updates, features and many more will no longer be provided by SQL Server 2008 or 2008 R2. So, it is important for the organizations to prepare for the migration otherwise the sensitive data could be at risk.