On February 27, 2025, Microsoft released SQL Server 2019 Cumulative Update 32. This is Build 15.0.4430.1. By Microsoft’s count, there is only 1 public fix in this CU. This CU was unexpected. It was needed because of a problem introduced in SQL Server 2019 CU31. This is how Microsoft describes it:
“Fixes an issue in which patching a read-scale availability group causes the availability group on the patched replica to be removed. For more information, see issue two of SQL Server 2019 CU31.”
This problem only affects read-scale availability groups. This is how Microsoft describes read-scale availability groups:
“In the context of an availability group, read-scale is offloading read workloads to one or more secondary replicas. You can free up resources and achieve higher throughput for the OLTP workload. You also can deliver higher performance and scale on read-only workloads.”
This should really be the last SQL Server 2019 CU, since SQL Server 2019 is falling out of Maintream Support on February 28, 2025.
If you have been lagging with keeping your SQL Server 2019 instances up to date, you should make an an honest effort to get SQL Server 2019 CU32 deployed, since this should actually be the final CU for SQL Server 2019. That means no more CU patches.
SQL Server 2019 won’t fall out of Extended Support until January 8th, 2030. There will probably be a number of GDR updates for SQL Server 2019 CU32 over the next five years. Microsoft typically releases GDR updates on “Patch Tuesday” each month (if there is a GDR release), but they can also release an “out of band” GDR release at any time to address a critical, time-sensitive security issue or critical functional issue.
It is always a good idea to read through the CU KB article to see more information about each fix and improvement. This will help you decide whether to push your organization to get the latest CU deployed or not. I have a blog post that might help you with this argument:
Personally, I think most organizations are far better off being on the “CU Train” rather than the “GDR Train”. With the CU Train, you get bug fixes, product improvements and security updates. On the GDR Train, you only get security updates in most cases.
How To Patch SQL Server 2019
I also have a YouTube video about how to patch SQL Server 2019 with a Cumulative Update and explains why it is important. It includes how to find the latest Cumulative Update for SQL Server 2019 and how to determine whether you need it or not.
No Service Packs for SQL Server 2019
SQL Server 2017 and newer does not have Service Packs. Microsoft is not using Service Packs as a servicing mechanism for SQL Server, only cumulative updates.
Microsoft released a new CU every month for SQL Server 2019 for the first four months after GA. Due to human malware concerns, CU5 was delayed until June 22, 2020. From CU6 through CU8, they seemed to be back to a normal monthly release schedule.
Then Microsoft announced a release delay in order to give their employees some well deserved time off over the holidays. After that, there was silence until the Extended Events security update was released on January 12th, 2021.
Since SQL Server 2019 has been GA for more than a year, Microsoft has switched to releasing a new CU every two months. This is what they will do until SQL Server 2019 falls out of Mainstream Support on February 28, 2025. When SQL Server 2019 falls out of Mainstream Support, there won’t be any more cumulative updates.
Final Words
SQL Server cumulative updates are actually cumulative, which might seem obvious from the name. This means that when you install SQL Server 2019 CU32, you are going to get all of the hotfixes and product improvements from ALL of the previous CUs. Microsoft has fixed hundreds of bugs since SQL Server 2019 RTM, and they have also added a significant number of product improvements and new features since the RTM release.
Despite some stumbles by Microsoft (including SQL Server 2019 CU7), I am still a very big proponent of trying to keep your SQL Server instances as up to date as possible. That does not mean throwing a new CU into Production the day it is released, but it also does not mean avoiding patching SQL Server indefinitely either. You really are better off trying to stay as current as possible on your SQL Server builds.
Here is Microsoft’s official guidance:
- SQL Server CUs are certified to the same levels as Service Packs, and should be installed at the same level of confidence.
- Historical data shows that a significant number of support cases involve an issue that has already been addressed in a released CU.
- CUs may contain added value over and above hotfixes. This includes supportability, manageability, and reliability updates.
If you have any questions about this post, please ask me here in the comments or on Bluesky. I am pretty active on Bluesky as GlennAlanBerry. Thanks for reading!