SQL Server 2005 SP3 Cumulative Update 4 is available

Microsoft quietly released another cumulative update for SQL Server 2005 Service Pack 3 this week.  So quietly, in fact, that it took me 5 days to notice.  As Chad Miller noted in his comment, this is the first build of SQL Server 2005 that supports the "lock pages in memory" setting on Standard Edition.  You can read about the release here:

http://blogs.msdn.com/sqlreleaseservices/archive/2009/06/15/cumulative-update-4-for-sql-server-2005-service-pack-3.aspx

If you are still running on SP2, you should consider testing and deploying SP3.  If that is not in the cards, then you will also want to look at CU #14 for SP2, also released on Monday:

http://blogs.msdn.com/sqlreleaseservices/archive/2009/06/15/cumulative-update-14-for-sql-server-2005-service-pack-2.aspx

Why do I think you should be on SP3 and not SP2?  Well, from the fix lists for the two branches, it is clear that more fixes are going into the SP3 branch (20 fixes, vs. 6 fixes on the SP2 side).  However, as with previous "parallel" CU development, the SP3 branch fixes are not a superset of the SP2 branch fixes.  Observe that only 2 fixes are common to both, 4 are in CU14 for SP2 only, and 18 are in CU4 for SP3 only:

Fix SP2 CU14
9.00.3328
SP3 CU4
9.00.4226
KB #948567 yes yes
KB #956574 yes yes
KB #967164 yes no
KB #967470 yes no
KB #969611 yes no
KB #971114 yes no
KB #961050 no yes
KB #968834 no yes
KB #968900 no yes
KB #969528 no yes
KB #969844 no yes
KB #969997 no yes
KB #970058 no yes
KB #970070 no yes
KB #970349 no yes
KB #970551 no yes
KB #970648 no yes
KB #970672 no yes
KB #970823 no yes
KB #970966 no yes
KB #971402 no yes
KB #971409 no yes
KB #971529 no yes
KB #971607 no yes

Aaron Bertrand

I am a passionate technologist with industry experience dating back to Classic ASP and SQL Server 6.5. I am a long-time Microsoft MVP, write at Simple Talk, SQLPerformance, and MSSQLTips, and have had the honor of speaking at more conferences than I can remember. In non-tech life, I am a father of two, a huge hockey and football fan, and my pronouns are he/him. If I've helped you out, consider thanking me with a coffee. :-)

10 Responses

  1. Jessica says:

    Anyone knows why even though i close the browser, sql server on the background keeps running the report stored procedure in reporting services?  

  2. ROSEMARIE says:

    I have an update pending and I get a message (update could not be installed for Security Update for SQL Server 2005 Service Pack 3 (KB970892)
    someone please help. Thanks

  3. Matt says:

    Sorry, Aaron. I had hit this page yesterday afternoon. I didn't refresh my browser this morning. I posted before seeing your post from last night.
    Thanks for the great work.

  4. Matt says:

    Seeing same issue as DBA. The CU4 KB http://support.microsoft.com/kb/970279 does not appear to have files for 64 bit. When you request the files you jst get 32 bit links.
    I contacting our MS TAM to see if they can steer me in right direction. I'll post an update when I have one.

  5. AaronBertrand says:

    DBA, the standard update is the file _COD_4229, though it has since been replaced by yet another confusing file name, SQL_Server_2005_SP3_CU_Updated_Ref_KB_972867.  See my recent rant about this debacle here:
    /blogs/aaron_bertrand/archive/2009/08/06/whither-art-thou-oh-microsoft-support.aspx
    The other files are:
    _SNAC : SQL Native Client, which you would use to distribute to clients that connect to SQL Server but do not have SQL Server installed.
    _SQLWriter : SQL Writer service, though I am not sure exactly why this hotfix file has been published separately.
    _RS_Sharepo : Reporting Services / SharePoint, though like SQL Writer, I have no idea why these were posted separately.  
    The KB article and/or the download page could certainly use some better verbiage around what these files are and who needs to deploy which files where.

  6. DBA says:

    Hi Aaron. Which version of SP3 CU4 is the standard update for x64? There are four options: _SQLWriter, _RS_Sharepo, _SNAC and _COD_4229 with _COD_4229 being by far the biggest. It seems amazing that Microsoft to do make this clearer.

  7. AaronBertrand says:

    Thanks Chris, yes it is tough to keep track of which fixes make it into which CUs.  They are doing their best to balance getting fixes out to us and making the process consistent, but there is always some give and take…

  8. Chris Wood says:

    Aaron,
    You are a little out with the fixes in CU14 of SP2 not in SP3. KB967164 and KB967470 were fixed in the previous CU for SP3 and got added to SP2 because I asks for them. The powers of the CSS SQL Server engineers made this happen.
    Chris

  9. AaronBertrand says:

    Of course, yes, thanks for the reminder Chad!  I first talked about it being available in June for SQL Server 2005, back in this April post:
    /blogs/aaron_bertrand/archive/2009/04/24/big-news-lock-pages-in-memory-for-standard-edition.aspx
    The specifics of the trace flag are mentioned in KB #970070:
    http://support.microsoft.com/kb/970070
    Note that it is supported in the SP3 branch only.  Another reason to upgrade, if you haven't already.  
    That said, I will add to Microsoft's disclaimers that you really should work with support to understand why you need this setting, as it could be a stability time bomb in certain scenarios.

  10. Chad Miller says:

    SQL 2005 SP3 CU#4 also includes the lock pages in memory feature for Standard Edition. This previously had been a feature only available in Enterprise edition.