Microsoft® SQL Server® 2008 R2 Service Pack 1 for Windows

The first major update to SQL Server 2008 R2

Microsoft® SQL Server® 2008 R2 Service Pack 1 is a free development and IT program update package that enables you to upgrade your SQL Server. Developed by Microsoft, this service pack contains cumulative updates and works for various SQL Server 2008 R2 editions you may have. Take note, however, that SQL Server 2008 R2 is no longer being supported and developed but can still be run on x64 systems. 

Is SQL Server 2008 R2 still supported?

Microsoft SQL Server is a relational database management system developed by Microsoft that doubles as a database server. Its primary function is to store and retrieve data as requested by other software applications—whether they run on the same PC or from another PC across the network. There are over a dozen editions and versions of SQL Server that are aimed at different audiences and workloads. One of these is SQL Server 2008 R2.

SQL Server 2008 R2 added certain features to SQL Server 2008, such as a master data management system and the PowerPivot for Excel’s service. It has a total of three Service Packs and the first of these was released in 2011, containing a multitude of vast improvements to the database. While it can only apply its updates and not Service Pack 2 or 3’s own, these updates are a great addition to the database’s features. 

For one, Dynamic Management Views has been extended to improve supportabilities over troubleshooting long-running queries. Querying performance has also been improved. There are new Data-tier Application (DAC) Framework as well as DAC upgrade wizard. Plus, you can control your disk space for the PowerPivot feature. However, while these are pretty handy, support for SQL Server 2008 R2 has stopped so any issues with SQL Server® 2008 R2 Service Pack 1 won’t be fixed easily.

No longer supported

All in all, Microsoft® SQL Server® 2008 R2 Service Pack 1 can be considered an essential update if you still happen to have SQL Server 2008 R2 running in your system. It’s not bundled with the other service packs but it still provides some great utilities. However, the lack of support for its base program means that you’re going to have a hard time fixing any issues you find in its updates.