Help! SQL Server 2008 is Still Here!

Slides: BrentOzar.com/go/sql2008
Help! SQL Server 2008 is Still Here!
DBA Fundamentals Virtual Group - July 9, 2019

WARNING: THIS SESSION IS NOT TECHNICAL

99-05: dev, architect, DBA
05-08: DBA, VM, SAN admin
08-10: MCM, Quest Software
Since: consulting DBA
www.BrentOzar.com
Help@BrentOzar.com

You’re here because…
You’re still running SQL Server 2008 & R2 in production
(and maybe even earlier versions)
The business has told you we’re keeping those around
You’re nervous about that
You want to know:
• What’s changing today
• What you can do about it
• What to do if you can’t do anything about it

What changes now

End of support means…
If you hit a problem on 2008 & R2, you can’t call Microsoft for support.

but that’s just
to get support…

DBA.StackExchange.com
SQLServerCentral.com
MSDN forums
Consultants (but not me)

What really changes
One support option is off the table: Microsoft support
(unless you’re hosting SQL Server 2008 & R2 in Azure VMs)
The remaining options:
• Don’t have SLAs
• Have varying quality of answers
• The paid ones will get progressively more expensive over time

But a lot of companies don’t care.
Because they’re running apps that the
developers long ago stopped supporting,
too.
And things are still working…

Poll: what’s your oldest version in production?

Poll: what’s your oldest version in production?
Total:
70%

So in a sense…nothing changes.
These are the same kinds of companies who:
• Choose to save money on development
• Choose to save money on hosting
• Choose to save money on licensing
• Probably choose to save money on training, too
Spending big money on a SQL Server licensing & upgrade project
would be totally against what these kinds of companies do.

That part isn’t your fault.
70% of companies are willing to roll with this risk.
You might not. But it’s not your money.
(Although in a sense, it is.)

What you can do
about it

You’re nervous because…
You can’t get official support
Some of the tools you love will gradually stop working
Your skills are growing out of date
And you’re nervous because
your company isn’t nervous

Here’s how I fix that.
Write down what’s on your mind
Prioritize it
If you shouldn’t be doing it, hand it off to the
person who should
Then let it go and be at peace
Learn more: BrentOzar.com/go/gtd

How to do that with SQL Server 2008
1. Build a list of the tools involved:
• Operating system
• Hardware
• Backup software
• Monitoring software
• Applications
2. Contact each vendor to ask when they’ll stop supporting 2008
3. Compile that into a single spreadsheet
4. Send it to your manager in the most forward-friendly way possible

What forward-friendly means
Your goal is for them to:
• Read your email
• Click the Forward button
• Send it to their manager (on their own – you don’t copy the manager) exactly as-is, with no
comments
The more times your email is forwarded exactly as-is, the better your chances of getting the end
result you want
You want to make it as easy as possible for them to just hit Forward.

Tips for a forward-friendly email
No emotion, no drama, no blame: we’re working together to fix a problem
As few words as possible
As crystal clear storytelling as possible
Needs real meaning for end users and the business
Doesn’t need real meaning for IT:
you and your manager know this already,
and this email is for upstream folks

SQL Server 2008 example
Good morning! We have a tough issue with the point-of-sale system.
If it goes down, we won’t be able to take orders.
It’s a single point of failure – only one database server, and most of the components are
unsupported. The operating system, SQL Server, vendor app, and backup software are all out of
support.
This means when it goes down, I won’t have anyone I can call to help.
This seems like a pretty big risk – is the company okay with this?

You’re just posting the sign.
It’s up to management as to whether or not they take the company there.
You want to make it easy for managers to point at the sign and say:
• “That looks dangerous”
• “I don’t want to be the one who ignored that sign”
• “I better forward this up the chain so someone else can take the fall”
If you don’t post the sign, you were the one who ignored it.

And maybe they’ll ignore it.
There are thousands of companies who do, every year.

Because look at the top 3 rows.
Total:
26%
These companies haven’t been
supported for YEARS.

What to do
if you can’t do anything
about it

Start collecting your tools.
Vendors and open source projects may stop supporting 2008 & R2.
It may not even be on purpose – it might be accidental.
Keep versions of every tool you use:
• Backups
• Monitoring tools
• sp_WhoIsActive
• First Responder Kit
• SQL Server SPs, CUs, hotfixes
• Even SQL Server Management Studio installs
They may not work forever, but might get you out of a jam.

When problems hit, be frank.
Don’t say “I told you so,” even if you did.
But do be clear about what you can do, and what you can’t.
Never let a good crisis go to waste.

Example email
We’re having deadlocking problems on SQL_SALES4.
Normally, I’d use sp_BlitzLock to track those down. It’s a totally free tool that works really well.
Unfortunately, SQL_SALES4 is still SQL 2008, which is out of support, and most of the tools out
there just don’t work on that, and I can’t call Microsoft for support.
I’ll start doing research, but I can’t make any promises that I’ll be able to fix it. Should we talk
about when we plan to upgrade it to get support?

You can totally still try to fix it.
And you’ll probably even be able to. You’re a hero.
But never let a good crisis go to waste.
You may not be able to fix the next one.

Keep
posting signs.

Examples of really hard-to-fix issues
Memory grants causing RESOURCE_SEMAPHORE waits:
https://www.brentozar.com/archive/2015/11/sql-server-2012-sp3-adds-memory-grant-and-
performance-features/
Queries spilling to disk (TempDB), but you’re not sure which ones:
https://www.brentozar.com/archive/2018/01/sql-server-2017-cu3-adds-tempdb-spill-diagnostics-
dmvs-extended-events/
Parallelism spills due to imbalanced work between operators:
https://www.brentozar.com/archive/2018/03/sql-server-2017-cu5-finding-problems-with-
parallelism/
Tracking these down on 2008 can take days or weeks of hard work.

Keep your skills aggressively current
Learn the tools that work with your most current version.
Never, ever say,
“I can’t use ___ because we still have a couple of 2008 servers.”
Protect & manage your currently-supported servers as best you can.
Keep making roadmaps to keep them current:
SQL Server 2012 drops out of extended support in 2022.
The rest? That’s the business’s choice to be unsupported.
Don’t take it personally.

“All we have is SQL
2008.”

You have a tough choice to make.
The business is effectively paying you so they can avoid:
• Paying Microsoft for newer licensing & support
• Paying the app vendor for updating their code
• Paying Azure to host the VM
Your job: keeping SQL Server 2008 online.
That’s a secure job, but only as long as companies keep using 2008.
There’s a good number of companies doing that today.
There won’t be forever. You have a tough choice to make.

Granted, this is 70% of all companies today…
Total:
70%

And yes, some shops run REALLY old stuff…
Total:
26%
But don’t read this as, “26% of
companies need DBAs to actively
work on 7/2000/2005.”
That’s not what this means.
Those boat anchors probably
don’t need day-to-day
handholding.

And besides…don’t you want to work here?
15%
These shops are AWESOME!
They’re staying REALLY current.

Recap

What we covered
Build an inventory spreadsheet with end-of-support dates:
hardware, operating system, SQL Server, app software, backups, etc.
Write an easy-to-forward email to your manager,
convey the business problem calmly, and attach the inventory.
Start keeping backups of all related software in case you need to rebuild a server: SQL, SSMS,
backup apps, monitoring apps, scripts, etc.
If you’re only supporting SQL Server 2008 and nothing else,
you’re making a choice. Make sure you’re stress-free about it.
Getting Things Done: BrentOzar.com/go/gtd

Help! SQL Server 2008 is Still Here!

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