I was recently working on a particular loaned-in SQL Server instance and remarked to a friend that the owning team did not keep their instance up-to-date on the latest and greatest of SQL Server patches and updates. Immediately, the friend enquired as to how I came in possession of this information, to which I explained the following:

Fetching the SQL Server product version

Fetching the SQL Server Product Version is quite easy, and can be done in multiple ways. Two of the most used ones are:

Using @@VERSION

This has to be perhaps the most popular method of knowing the SQL Server product version – simple and easy to use. However for me, the query returns a little too much data in the sense that it also returns the processor architecture information, installation date, OS version, etc – something which I did not set out to do.

SELECT @@VERSION

And the output on one of my test systems is:

Microsoft SQL Server 2012 (SP1) – 11.0.3000.0 (Intel X86)
    Oct 19 2012 13:43:21
    Copyright (c) Microsoft Corporation
    Enterprise Evaluation Edition on Windows NT 6.2 <X86> (Build 8400: ) (VM)

Using SERVERPROPERTY

This one is my favourite because it is precise and provides just the information that has been requested.

SELECT SERVERPROPERTY(‘ProductVersion’) AS ProductVersion

/*

ProductVersion

——————–

11.0.3000.0

*/

Staying up-to-date with the SQL Server builds released to market by Microsoft

Now that I have the Product Version # for the installed instance of SQL Server, I can look it up in the official SQL Server build lists for the builds that are released to market by Microsoft:

• KB957826 – Where to find information about the latest SQL Server builds

The KB957826 links to various other KB articles listing the builds that have been released since particular build of SQL Server was released. For example, 11.0.3000.0 is SQL 2012 SP1 whereas a CU has already been released (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/2765331).

Alternatively, if the Microsoft KB article becomes too much information to digest, one can also refer the one on SQLServerCentral (http://www.sqlservercentral.com/articles/Build+List/71065/).

Until we meet next time,

Be courteous. Drive responsibly.