Microsoft SQL Server is a Relational Database Management System (RDMS) developed by Microsoft. It has undergone many evolutions since its initial release in 1988 (the year I was born). I thought today I’d write about the history of MSSQL, and include whatever thoughts I have along the way from my experience as a SQL DBA.
SQL Server is the system I use daily. I’m a Database Reliability Engineer (officially a Site Reliability Engineer), looking after critical SQL Server databases that have various workloads and importance. The most important SQL Servers run with Enterprise Edition, configured with Always On Availability Groups to ensure the database systems are Highly Available incase of disaster. Other SQL Servers, still important servers, run the SQL Server Web Edition which operates without the SQL Server Agent.
Anyway, there’s some background information for this. Below in this post I’ll run through the history of Microsoft SQL Server since its release, until today. This year we’re getting SQL Server 2025!
The History of Microsoft SQL Server
In June 1988, Microsoft, Ashton-Tate, and Sybase collaborated to create a variant of Sybase SQL Server for IBM OS/2. This birthed Microsoft SQL Server, the company’s foray into the enterprise-level database market competing against industry giants like Oracle and IBM.
SQL Server Legacy Versions
SQL Server 1.0 to SQL Server 7 (1989-1998)
The initial versions of SQL Server were designed for OS/2, with the first version released in 1989. The transition to Windows NT in 1993 marked the divergence of paths between Microsoft and Sybase. SQL Server 6.0, released in 1995, was the first version specifically designed for Windows NT. A major rewrite of the Sybase engine, SQL Server 7.0 introduced User Mode Scheduling, multi-dimensional database products, and ended support for the DEC Alpha platform. This version laid the foundation for future advancements in High Availability (HA).
SQL Server 2000 (2000) – Version 8.0
Building upon Sybase code, SQL Server 2000 introduced several enhancements, including support for IA-64 architecture and the introduction of key complementary systems like SQL Server Integration Services and Reporting Services.
SQL Server 2005 (2005) – Version 9.0
Notable for native XML support, CLR integration, and the introduction of Database Mirroring for High Availability. SQL Server 2005 set the stage for advancements in performance, security, and management tools.
SQL Server 2008 (2008) – Version 10.0
Bringing self-tuning and self-organizing data management, SQL Server 2008 introduced support for structured and semi-structured data, better compression features, and enhanced indexing algorithms.
SQL Server 2008 R2 (2010) – Version 10.50
Building upon its predecessor, SQL Server 2008 R2 added features like Master Data Services and Multi-Server Management. It was the last version to run on the Itanium platform.
SQL Server 2012 (2012) – Version 11.0
Introducing Always On SQL Server Failover Cluster Instances and Availability Groups, SQL Server 2012 focused on improving database availability. It marked the last version to natively support OLE DB.
SQL Server 2014 (2014) – Version 12.0
Extended Support End Date: Jul 9, 2024 – MSSQL 2014 Lifecycle
With in-memory capabilities (Hekaton) and improved Always On solutions, SQL Server 2014 (12.x) enhanced performance and disaster recovery. It was the last version available on the x86/IA32 architecture, and we got Transparent Data Encryption (TDE).
Currently Supported SQL Server Versions
SQL Server 2016 (2016) – Version 13.0
Extended Support End Date: Jul 14, 2026 – MSSQL 2016 Lifecycle
SQL Server 2016 (13.x) brought the introduction of Query Store for monitoring and troubleshooting performance issues and the SQL Server R Service integration. We also got built-in JSON support for imports, exports, parsing, and storage, PolyBase Query Engine Integration for SQL Server with external data in Hadoop or Azure Blob storage, and the Stretch Database feature for archiving data to Azure SQL database dynamically, which has already been retired.
This release marked the beginning of Microsoft’s shift away from Service Packs, and brought support for x64 processors only. Security feature improvements in SQL Server 2016 included Always Encrypted, Dynamic Data Masking to hide masked data from most users, and Row Level Security. One other note-able change with SQL Server 2016 was that database compression for backups is now usable with the Standard Edition rather than it being an Enterprise Edition only feature.
SQL Server 2017 (2017) – Version 14.0
SQL Server 2017 (14.x) was the first release that included Linux support, expanding the platform’s versatility. Other MSSQL 2017 Feature releases include Automatic Database Tuning, Scale Out for SSIS, and SSRS supports OpenAPI compliant RESTful APIs.
During this release SQL Server R Services is renamed to SQL Server Machine Learning Services, reflecting support for Python in addition to R. Python ML and AI libraries become available, including revoscalepy, microsoftml, and Python operationalization with T-SQL.
SQL Server 2019 (2019) – Version 15.0
Introducing Big Data Clusters, In-Memory Database technologies, and other various improvements, SQL Server 2019 (15.x) further expanded its capabilities, addressing some of the evolving needs.
Using the PolyBase feature, users are now equipped with the ability to integrate and query data from diverse external sources, including SQL Server, Oracle, Teradata, MongoDB, and ODBC, using external tables.
SQL Server 2022 (2022) – Version 16.0
SQL Server 2022 (16.x) introduced Azure Synapse Link for SQL, enabling real-time analytics with Azure Synapse Analytics, object storage integration supporting S3-compatible storage, and Data Lake Virtualization. This means we can use CREATE EXTERNAL TABLE AS SELECT (CETaS), a feature designed to help archive and store cold data in Azure Storage (saved in Parquet). This is what we use instead of the deprecated Stretch Database feature.
Beginning with MSSQL 2022, runtimes for R, Python, and Java, are no longer installed with SQL Setup. Instead, install any desired custom runtime(s) and packages. This release also removes SQL Server Native Client – watch out for this one, I’ve spent hours troubleshooting an issue only to find that it was due to this client being needed.
SQL Server 2025 (2025) – Version 17.0
At the time of writing, SQL Server 2025 is not yet released and is in early preview. We have this SQL Server 2025 announcement post from Microsoft which contains all the things to expect.
Cloud capabilities expand with Microsoft Fabric Database Mirroring and Azure Arc connectivity, enabling more hybrid management styles. We should really benefit from Copilot in SSMS for coding assistance, I hope. I also wonder where the Microsoft Entra Integration will go, if my world will change with that at all.
I made a blog post for SQL Server 2025 which I’ll update with good notes I learn along the way. So far, all I know is what’s available via online search.
Wrapping Up; Keep Informed & Software Updated
SQL Server will always be my primary focus throughout my career. While it’s impossible to know everything, dedication and continuous learning, especially with the help of Microsoft Docs, can make us great SQL Server Database Administrators.
One common challenge for businesses is keeping SQL Server up to date. This includes upgrading to stay within Microsoft’s Extended Support Periods for security and regularly applying the latest Cumulative Updates (CU) to ensure optimal performance and stability.
I hope you enjoyed my take on this, and no doubt there’s some new information for any reader in this post with all the links to MS Docs & Wikipedia!
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