On July 10, 2025, Microsoft released SQL Server 2022 Cumulative Update 20. This is Build 16.0.4205.1. By Microsoft’s count, there are 10 public fixes and improvements in this CU, so it has about an average number of fixes. This is not unexpected since SQL Server 2022 has been GA for over two years now.
I don’t see any particularly compelling fixes or improvements in CU20, but there may be items in CU20 that are important to you. SQL Server Cumulative Update 20 does include the GDR fixes that were released on July 8, 2025, as you would expect.
It is always a good idea to read through the matching CU KB article to see a little more information about each fix and improvement.
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 usually only get security updates. You will miss out on all of the general bug fixes and product improvements if you stay on the GDR Train.
I continue to be somewhat frustrated by the very sparse documentation for many fixes and improvements. Back in the day, every single public fix or improvement had a separate KB article with more details about the fix or improvement.
These were very useful for helping to convince organizations to patch SQL Server. They also contained very valuable information that helped DBAs understand the background and symptoms of problems that the fixes were targeted at.
This latest SQL Server 2022 CU is on time (based on Microsoft’s public guidance about how SQL Server is serviced), so kudos to Microsoft.
No Service Packs for SQL Server 2022
SQL Server 2017 and newer does not have any Service Packs. Microsoft is not using Service Packs any longer as a servicing mechanism for SQL Server, only Cumulative Updates or GDR releases.
During the first year that SQL Server 2022 was GA, Microsoft was supposed to release a new CU every month. After the first year, this changed to a new CU every two months, until SQL Server 2022 falls out of Mainstream Support on January 11, 2028. When SQL Server 2022 falls out of Mainstream Support, there won’t be any more cumulative updates, only GDR security fixes.
Final Words
SQL Server cumulative updates are actually cumulative, which might seem obvious from the name. This means that when you install SQL Server 2022 CU20, you get all the previous updates that were in all of the earlier cumulative updates (plus all of the GDR fixes).
Despite some stumbles by Microsoft, I am still a 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 2022 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 Blue Sky. I am pretty active on Blue Sky as GlennAlanBerry. Thanks for reading!