MS SQL 2012, MS SQL 2022 or ...?

The optimal policy for upgrading SQL Server will depend on a variety of factors, such as the specific needs of your organization, your budget, your available resources, and your existing SQL Server environment. Here are a few general guidelines to consider when planning your SQL Server upgrade strategy:

• Stay up-to-date: It is generally a good practice to keep your SQL Server environment up-to-date with the latest releases and patches, as this can help to ensure that you have access to the latest features, performance improvements, and security updates.

• Plan for compatibility: When upgrading SQL Server, it's important to consider the compatibility of your existing applications, databases, and hardware. Be sure to test any new SQL Server releases in a development or test environment before deploying them in production.

• Consider your budget: Upgrading SQL Server can be expensive, especially if you have a large environment with many servers and databases. It's important to consider your budget and plan your upgrades accordingly, to ensure that you are getting the most value for your investment.

• Evaluate your workload: Before upgrading SQL Server, it's important to evaluate your workload and determine whether a new release will provide significant performance improvements or other benefits. In some cases, it may be more cost-effective to optimize your existing SQL Server environment rather than upgrading to a new release.

There is no one-size-fits-all answer, how often it is wise to upgrade SQL Server. It will depend on factors such as the frequency of new releases, the specific features and benefits of each release, the compatibility of your existing environment, and your budget. It's a good idea to work with a trusted IT partner or consultant to evaluate your options and determine the best upgrade strategy for your organization.

Exact Holding ended support for MS SQL 2012. Latest versions of Exact Synergy Enterprise, Exact Globe Next, Exact Globe+ are not supported with SQL 2012 but still supported with all newer versions of SQL up to SQL 2022.

You can still use SQL 2014 but I don't recommend upgrading to this 9 year old version.

Here are some of the biggest performance advantages in latest SQL Server releases.

SQL Server 2016:

• In-Memory OLTP: This feature allows you to store and process data entirely in memory, which can significantly improve the performance of transaction processing and other workloads.
• Query Store: This feature enables you to track and analyze query performance over time, making it easier to identify and resolve performance issues.
• Always Encrypted: This feature allows you to encrypt sensitive data at rest and in motion, without compromising the ability to search and query the data.

SQL Server 2017:

• Automatic tuning: This feature uses machine learning to identify and fix performance issues automatically, without the need for manual intervention.
• Graph data processing: This feature enables you to model and process complex data relationships more efficiently than traditional relational database structures.
• Resumable online index rebuilds: This feature allows you to pause and resume index rebuilds, which can be particularly useful for large databases or systems with limited maintenance windows.

SQL Server 2019:

• Intelligent query processing: This feature uses machine learning to optimize query performance by automatically selecting the most efficient execution plan.
• Accelerated database recovery: This feature reduces database recovery time after a failure or interruption, which can improve availability and reduce downtime.
• Big data clusters: This feature allows you to combine SQL Server with other data platforms such as Hadoop or Spark, enabling you to process and analyze large volumes of diverse data types.

SQL Server 2022:

• Degree of parallelism (DOP) feedback: the new option DOP_FEEDBACK automatically adjusts degree of parallelism for repeating queries.
• Cardinality estimation feedback: helps to avoid a sub-optimal execution plan.
• System page latch concurrency enhancements: reduction of page latch contention.

Additionally, it is worth considering that the choice of the latest release of SQL (2022) is associated with the need for frequent patch installations, therefore choosing SQL 2019 may turn out to be more convenient, especially where it is difficult to organize a maintenance slot often.

It's worth noting that the specific performance advantages of each version may vary depending on your workload and environment. It's always a good idea to thoroughly test any new version of SQL Server in a development or test environment before deploying it in production.