ESU frequently asked questions

2014 (12.x)

General frequently asked questions about Extended Security updates can be found at the

Extended security updates FAQ. This article lists SQL Server-specific frequently asked

questions.

For information about using

Azure Arc

to receive Extended Security Updates (ESUs) for versions

of SQL Server that are out of extended support, see

What are Extended Security Updates for

?

For information about ESU pricing, see

Plan your Windows Server and SQL Server end of

support.

The End of Support date for SQL Server 2014 (12.x) was July 9, 2024.

Microsoft Lifecycle Policy offers 10 years of support (five years for Mainstream Support and five

years for Extended Support) for Business and Developer products, such as SQL Server and

Windows Server. After the end of the Extended Support period, Microsoft doesn’t provide

patches or security updates. This lack of support might cause security and compliance

problems and exposes your applications and business to serious security risks.

Enterprise, Datacenter, Standard, Web, and Workgroup editions of SQL Server 2014 (12.x) are

eligible for ESUs for both x86 and x64 versions.

When you downgrade an instance edition from Enterprise Edition to Standard Edition on the

same machine, the billing meter automatically switches from enterprise to standard both for IP

and ESU. For ESU, there’s no additional bill-back. However, there’s no refund of the original EE

bill-back.