Hotfix best practice?

  • Could someone suggest a best practice for hotfixes?

    I'm fairly new to administration and I'm looking at the following list trying to decide what we should be on/install. Should I just install the last one since they are cumulative?

    http://support.microsoft.com/kb/894905/

    Here is our current system (SELECT @@VERSION)

    Microsoft SQL Server 2000 - 8.00.2050 (Intel X86)

    Mar 7 2008 21:29:56

    Copyright (c) 1988-2003 Microsoft Corporation

    Standard Edition on Windows NT 5.2 (Build 3790: Service Pack 2)

    Kevin

  • A best practice is to be on a Build version that has been tested to be more stable like SP4 for SQL 2000 or SP2 for 2005 ( I believe SP3 is fairly stable too). As when you keep getting issues if any on these builds then MS has offered Hotfixes that are one-off solutions to problems as they occur. I wouldn't advice going to cumulative upgrade or hotfixes if you dont have a problem that it addresses.

    Even MS says that hotfixes are solutions to problems that are mentioned in their description and its better we apply them only if we need them..

    Thanks!!

    The_SQL_DBA
    MCTS

    "Quality is never an accident; it is always the result of high intention, sincere effort, intelligent direction and skillful execution; it represents the wise choice of many alternatives."

  • MK Morris (4/6/2009)


    Could someone suggest a best practice for hotfixes?

    I'm fairly new to administration and I'm looking at the following list trying to decide what we should be on/install. Should I just install the last one since they are cumulative?

    http://support.microsoft.com/kb/894905/

    Here is our current system (SELECT @@VERSION)

    Microsoft SQL Server 2000 - 8.00.2050 (Intel X86)

    Mar 7 2008 21:29:56

    Copyright (c) 1988-2003 Microsoft Corporation

    Standard Edition on Windows NT 5.2 (Build 3790: Service Pack 2)

    Kevin

    Ideally, you should wait for the next service pack that contains the hotfix, but if you are experiencing a specific problem, which is addressed in the hotfix, then apply hotfix into a dev\test environment to ensure your issue(s) is resolved, then deploy to production following your change control processes.

    Hope this helps,

    Phillip Cox

  • Yes, Apply Service packs first and if you have any glitches concerning to a particular issue then I advise to look for that particular patch and apply it, but obviously you would do this on your test servers first then your production.

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