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“Which SQL Server do we need?”, “Is our database backed up?” and “Why is the software so slow?” are three of the most common questions we hear. This guide answers all three, and explains what to do if you’re still on SQL Server 2016.

SQL Server 2016 is already out of support

SQL Server 2016 reached end of support on 14 July 2026, and SQL Server 2017 follows in October 2027. If your accounting, ERP, HR or line-of-business app still runs on either, the database underneath is no longer getting regular security updates. Your options:

• Upgrade to SQL Server 2022 or newer, after checking that your application vendor supports it.
• Move to Azure SQL, where Microsoft handles the platform updates.
• Buy Extended Security Updates as a short bridge while you plan the move.

Whatever you choose, start with a list: which databases, which version, which apps depend on them, and who supports each app.

Editions and licensing in plain words

• Express: free, with limits on database size and server resources. Fine for small apps; check your vendor’s requirements.
• Standard: the usual choice for business apps such as ERP and accounting.
• Enterprise: for large, critical systems that need advanced availability, performance and security features.
• Developer: free, but for development and testing only, never production.

Standard and Enterprise can be licensed per core. Standard can also be licensed as Server + CAL: a server licence plus one for each user or device. Always check before you buy; licensing mistakes get expensive at audit time.

Backups that actually restore

“The server is backed up” doesn’t always mean the database is. A copy of a running SQL Server’s files is often unusable, so SQL Server needs its own backups:

• Recovery model: Simple keeps it light; Full lets you restore to a point in time, but only if log backups run. Without them, the log file keeps growing until the disk fills up.
• Full backups, usually nightly; differential backups for changes since the last full; and log backups every 15 to 60 minutes for important databases, so you lose minutes rather than a day.
• Test restores to a test server every quarter, and time them.

Five common causes of slow business apps

• Missing or bloated indexes: queries read far more data than they need.
• Memory settings left on defaults, competing with everything else on the server.
• TempDB: one small file on a slow disk becomes a bottleneck.
• Out-of-date statistics: SQL Server picks poor query plans.
• Blocking: one long-running report holds up everyone else.

Most of these can be found with built-in tools in an afternoon, and many are fixed with configuration changes rather than new hardware. Before buying a bigger server, check the database first.