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Longhorn, Vista to drop SQL Server 2000 and MSDE support

In a surprise move, Microsoft announced that the soon-to-be released Microsoft Windows Vista operating system and Microsoft Windows Server "Longhorn" will not support earlier versions of SQL Server, including SQL Server 2000 (all editions including MSDE), SQL Server 7.0, and SQL Server 6.5.

SQL Server 2000

Customers running applications with these earlier versions of SQL Server should consider evaluating and upgrading to SQL Server 2005, which was designed to take advantage of the upcoming security and performance enhancements in the operating environment. Visit http://www.microsoft.com/sql/howtobuy/sqlonvista.mspx to learn more about Microsoft's announcement.

Among the things that you need to consider before upgrading is minimum system requirement. Hardware requirements for SQL Server 2005 are higher than those of SQL Server 2000. Also, SQL Server 2005 requires the .NET Framework 2.0. In terms of features, SQL Server 2005 provides a superior set of features over SQL Server 2000 including database mirroring, CLR integration, database snapshots, encryption, and enhanced XML support.

MSDE

The impact on MSDE users will be greater on Vista since MSDE is a desktop engine. Users of  MSDE should consider upgrading to SQL Server 2005 Express, which is the free version of the Microsoft SQL Server 2005 database. SQL Server 2005 Express is built on the same core database engine as the other editions of the SQL Server 2005 product line. It has the same essential data types and programmatic features as the other editions of SQL Server 2005, giving it some important advantages over MSDE. SQL Server 2005 Express runs on the same hardware as MSDE. Recommended system requirements are as follows:

• Processor — A minimum of a 600-MHz processor is required and a 1-GHz processor is recommended.
• RAM — A minimum of 256 MB of RAM is required and 512 MB of RAM is recommended.
• Disk Space — A minimum of 170 MB of free disk space is required, with the Microsoft .NET Framework V2.0 as a prerequisite.

MSDE vs. SQL Server 2005 Express

Although SQL Server Express has a number of new features, some MSDE features are no longer included in the new Express edition of SQL Server 2005. The following table provides a comparison of MSDE and SQL Server 2005 Express: