Microsoft SQL Server is a relational database that stores and retrieves data for other applications. It's built on Structured Query Language (SQL), a programming language used by database administrators to manage databases.
Initially released on 24th April, 1989 by Microsoft, SQL Server has become a main player in commercial databases. As of June 2024, the most popular database management system (DBMS) worldwide was Oracle, with a ranking score of 1244.08; MySQL and Microsoft SQL server rounded out the top three - source.
SQL Server 2022
Keeping SQL Server updated is crucial for maintaining security, performance, and stability by ensuring you have the latest bug fixes, security patches, and feature improvements from Microsoft, which helps to protect your data from vulnerabilities and allows you to leverage new functionalities for optimal database management. The current latest version of Microsoft SQL Server is SQL Server 2022, which was released on November 16, 2022. The version number for SQL Server 2022 is 16.0. For a list of cumulative releases (updates) to this version from Microsoft see the table below.
| Cumulative update name | SQL Server build version | Knowledge Base number | Release date | Patch Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CU17 (Latest) | 16.0.4175.1 | KB5048038 | January 16, 2025 | Link |
| CU16 | 16.0.4165.4 | KB5048033 | November 14, 2024 | |
| CU15 | 16.0.4145.4 | KB5041321 | September 25, 2024 | |
| CU14 | 16.0.4135.4 | KB5038325 | July 23, 2024 | |
| CU13 | 16.0.4125.3 | KB5036432 | May 16, 2024 | |
| CU12 | 16.0.4115.5 | KB5033663 | March 14, 2024 | |
| CU11 | 16.0.4105.2 | KB5032679 | January 11, 2024 | |
| CU10 | 16.0.4095.4 | KB5031778 | November 16, 2023 | |
| CU9 | 16.0.4085.2 | KB5030731 | October 12, 2023 | |
| CU8 | 16.0.4075.1 | KB5029666 | September 14, 2023 | |
| CU7 | 16.0.4065.3 | KB5028743 | August 10, 2023 | |
| CU6 | 16.0.4055.4 | KB5027505 | July 13, 2023 | |
| CU5 | 16.0.4045.3 | KB5026806 | June 15, 2023 | |
| CU4 | 16.0.4035.4 | KB5026717 | May 11, 2023 | |
| CU3 | 16.0.4025.1 | KB5024396 | April 13, 2023 | |
| CU2 | 16.0.4015.1 | KB5023127 | March 15, 2023 | |
| CU1 | 16.0.4003.1 | KB5022375 | February 16, 2023 | |
| RTM | 16.0.1000.6 | SQL Server 2022 release notes | November 16, 2022 |
