Question
What is the difference between the GDR and CU versions of the MS SQL server?
How to get the version
When you check the version of your MSSQL server, you can use the following SQL command in Microsoft SQL Server Management Studio:
select @@version
And the result could be something like the following:
Microsoft SQL Server 2019 (RTM-GDR) (KB5014356) - 15.0.2095.3 (X64) Apr 29 2022 18:00:13 Copyright (C) 2019 Microsoft Corporation Enterprise Edition (64-bit) on Windows 10 Enterprise 10.0 <X64> (Build 19044: )
Or something like
Microsoft SQL Server 2017 (RTM-CU27) (KB5006944) - 14.0.3421.10 (X64) Oct 14 2021 00:47:52 Copyright (C) 2017 Microsoft Corporation Standard Edition (64-bit) on Windows Server 2019 Standard 10.0 <X64> (Build 17763: )
Or like
Microsoft SQL Server 2017 (RTM-CU29-GDR) (KB5014553) - 14.0.3445.2 (X64) May 29 2022 12:36:31 Copyright (C) 2017 Microsoft Corporation Standard Edition (64-bit) on Windows Server 2016 Datacenter 10.0 <X64> (Build 14393: )
If you see the word GDR, then your MSSQL server is using the so-called GDR (General Distribution Release) and if you only see CU, then you are getting the full Cumulative Updates.
The number after "CU" indicates the number of the cumulative update that you have installed, so you can confirm if it is the latest available.
Details
In short, the GDR option only includes security and critical updates, while the CU option includes all updates.
You can find more details in the following external links (NOTE: we cannot guarantee their availability, accuracy and quality):
- https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/archive/blogs/sqlreleaseservices/a-changed-approach-to-service-packs
- https://www.sqltattoo.com/blog/2021/01/sql-server-patching-gdr-vs-cu/
- https://dba.stackexchange.com/questions/193896/what-is-a-sql-server-gdr
Suggestion for M-Files
We recommend using the CU option when possible. This includes all possible improvements, fixes and enhancements that are made for the product, which reduces the chance of your vault database hitting an issue that is fixed or improved.
We recommend that you keep your MS SQL server up to date - update as regularly as possible for your organization.
NOTE: If you are running on a GDR version, once you go to a CU version, you cannot go back to a GDR version.
