Cumulative Updates ship on a published schedule, which I didn’t realize for a long time. I had it in my head that they came out roughly monthly with no real pattern, and that’s only true for the first year. The servicing model page says CUs land “every month for the first year after a SQL Server release, and every two months for the remaining four years” of the five year mainstream lifecycle. So an instance on a version that’s been out a while is on a two month cadence, and you can plan maintenance windows against that instead of watching for a release.
Below you will find the steps to download and install the latest CU to your SQL Server.
Download the Latest CU
To download the latest cumulative update for your version of SQL Server, you’ll need to visit Microsoft’s official release page. This page provides updates for all supported SQL Server versions.
Each cumulative update is specific to your SQL Server version (e.g., SQL Server 2019, 2022), so be sure to verify your version by running the following query in SSMS:
SELECT @@VERSIONFrom the release page, select the version you wish to download and you’ll be redirected to the CU page for that specific KB. Read the documentation for your CU, then scroll down to the section marked How to obtain or download this or the latest cumulative update package and click the link labeled Download the latest cumulative update package for SQL Server 20xx now.
You will be redirected once more. When that page loads, download the appropriate CU file. The file will typically be in .exe format and labeled something like SQLServer20xx-KBxxxxxxx-x64.exe.
Installing the CU
Installing CUs require downtime for your SQL Server, so make sure you obtain a maintenance window prior to proceeding. Additionally, make sure you have a recent database backup before installing the CU. This can be the difference between a 15 minute maintenance task and a 3 hour phone call with your boss, sales, and an angry client. Once that’s finished, locate the .exe file and right-click it to Run as Administrator. This will launch the SQL Server Update Installer.
The installer will guide you through a few steps:
- Accept the License Terms: Read through and accept the license agreement.
- Select SQL Server Instances: The installer will detect all SQL Server instances on your machine. Choose the instance(s) you want to apply the update to.
- File Check: The installer will need to run a check to verify that the files it needs are not in use. Once it completes, click
Nextto continue. - Summary: Review the summary to make sure the information is accurate, and click
Update.
The update process will take a few minutes depending on your system and SQL Server configuration. During this time, the selected instances may be temporarily unavailable, so this is the point users will start screaming if you didn’t provide the users with notice of downtime.
Verify that all operations show Successful and close the installer.
Post Installation Tasks
I’ve seen some people suggest restarting the SQL Server after applying the update, but unless explicitly requested by Microsoft via the installer, I don’t find that necessary. To verify the update was applied, open SSMS, connect to your instance, and run the following query again:
SELECT @@VERSIONThis time, you should see the CU short code listed after the version number, as well as the KB (ex. Microsoft SQL Server 20xx (RTM-CUxx) (KBxxxxxxx)...).
If your install failed and you need to rollback to the previous version, you can find instructions for uninstalling your specific KB at the bottom of the KB article itself.
One thing I’ve changed my mind about is how long to wait before applying one. I used to sit on a CU for a few weeks to see whether anyone else hit problems with it, on the theory that a service pack was the tested thing and a CU was closer to a hotfix roll-up. That distinction doesn’t exist anymore, since service packs stopped entirely with SQL Server 2017 and the CU is the only vehicle in mainstream support. Microsoft’s guidance is to “install the latest CU that’s available for a given SQL Server version.” I still don’t go first on the day of release, but I stopped treating a CU as something to be suspicious of.
Worth knowing that GDRs are a separate track. If you’ve only ever applied security updates and never a CU, you’re on the RTM-GDR baseline rather than a CU baseline, and the two aren’t the same line of builds. The servicing page says a GDR “can have either an RTM baseline or a CU baseline,” and the latest GDR is cumulative within its own baseline only, so it has tables for working out which line you’re actually on.
Before you spend time hunting for a CU, check whether your version still gets them. That page says “CU31 for 2017 is the last CU for SQL Server 2017,” and for 2016 and earlier “we no longer ship CUs,” with only on-demand fixes and security updates after that point. I’ve gone looking for a CU that didn’t exist before, on the assumption I was searching the page wrong.
As always, if you run into issues or need help troubleshooting, please leave a comment below and I or the community can help troubleshoot.