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SQL Server 2016 SP2 CU2 Available

On July 16, 2018, Microsoft released SQL Server 2016 SP2 CU2, which is Build 13.0.5153.0. There are 21 fixes in the public fix list, including a number of fixes in the SQL performance, SQL Engine, and High Availability fix areas.

Microsoft has also released SQL Server 2016 SP1 CU10, which is Build 13.0.4514.0. There are also 21 fixes in the public fix list, including a number of fixes in the High Availability and SQL Engine fix areas. I think you should be on The SQL Server 2016 SP2 branch by now, or as soon as possible, but the SP1 branch is still supported.

I want to convince more people to try to keep their SQL Server instances up to date with Cumulative Updates. If you do the proper testing, planning and preparation, I think the risks from installing a SQL Server Cumulative Update are quite low (despite the occasional issues that people run into).

If you install a Cumulative Update or Service Pack on a Production system the day it is released, after doing no testing whatsoever, and then run into problems (and don’t have a plan on how to recover), then I don’t have that much sympathy for you.

On the other hand, if you go through a thoughtful and thorough testing process, and you have a plan for how you will install the CU, and how you would recover if there were any problems, then you are much less likely to have any problems. You are also much more likely to avoid the issues that are fixed by all of the included fixes in the new build of SQL Server. You have done your job as a good DBA.

Finally, Microsoft has changed their official guidance about whether you should install SQL Server Cumulative Updates. As they say, “we now recommend ongoing, proactive installation of CU’s as they become available”.

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