SQL Server 2008/2008 R2 were the immediate successors to the 2005 release, which was a major reboot of the platform, parting ways with the original code base.

Once the CUs stop, the company will only ship on-demand fixes and security updates. The most recent CU for SQL Server 2019 was CU32, released the day before mainstream support ended on February 27.

Microsoft on Thursday announced new Extended Security Updates plans that add three years of patch support for organizations using SQL Server 2008/R2 and Windows Server 2008/R2 products.