Performance and Stability Fixes in SQL Server 2019 CU Builds

Introduction

I am going to maintain a list of Performance and Stability Fixes in SQL Server 2019 CU Builds, which is simply a curated list of the more important fixes and improvements in each SQL Server 2019 Cumulative Update. As of March 31, 2020, there have been four Cumulative Updates (CU) for SQL Server 2019. There were a large number of hotfixes in the first two cumulative updates (as you might expect). CU3 had a lower number of fixes and improvements. In contrast, CU4 had a higher number of fixes.

If you are running on SQL Server 2019, I really think you should be running the latest SQL Server 2019 Cumulative Update as soon as you can test and deploy it. Remember, there are not going to be any Service Packs for SQL Server 2017 and later, so you are going to want to get in the habit of testing and deploying SQL Server 2019 Cumulative Updates as they become available.

Performance and Stability Fixes in SQL Server 2019 CU Builds
Performance and Stability Fixes

You can follow the KB article link below to see all of the CU builds for the SQL Server 2019.

Just as I have done for other versions of SQL Server, I decided to scan the hotfix list for all of the Cumulative Updates for SQL Server 2019, looking for performance and general reliability-related fixes for the SQL Server Database Engine. I came up with the list below, but this listing is completely arbitrary on my part. You may come up with a completely different list, based on what specific SQL Server 2019 features you are using.

Here are the fixes, by Cumulative Update, for SQL Server 2019:

SQL Server 2019 Cumulative Update 4

Build 15.0.4033.1, 36 Public Hotfixes

SQL Server 2019 Cumulative Update 3

Build 15.0.4023.6, 11 Public Hotfixes

SQL Server 2019 Cumulative Update 2

Build 15.0.4013.40, 85 Public Hotfixes

SQL Server 2019 Cumulative Update 1

Build 15.0.4003.23, 62 Public Hotfixes

Final Words

The reason that I put these lists together is that I want to convince more people to try to keep their SQL Server instances up to date with Cumulative Updates. If you do the proper testing, planning and preparation, I think the risks from installing a SQL Server Cumulative Update are quite low (despite the occasional issues that people run into).

If someone installs a Cumulative Update on a Production system the day it is released, after doing no testing whatsoever, and then run into problems (and don’t have a plan on how to recover), then I don’t have that much sympathy for them.

On the other hand, if you go through a thoughtful and thorough testing process, and you have a plan for how you will install the CU, and how you would recover if there were any problems, then you are much less likely to have any problems. You are also much more likely to avoid the issues that are fixed by all of the included fixes in the new build of SQL Server. As a data professional, you have done your job!

Finally, Microsoft has changed their official guidance about whether you should install SQL Server Cumulative Updates. As they say, “we now recommend ongoing, proactive installation of CU’s as they become available”.

Please tell me what you think

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