SQL 2012 database compatibility modes

  • we're planning for a migration from SQL 2008 to SQL 2012. in planning for this migration, we have contacted vendors to ensure SQL 2012 compatibility. some have still not tested and certified for 2012. my question is about the compatibility mode - if a vendor has only certified the database on the old version, is running it under a compatibilty mode on a newer version the same functionally as running it on a server of the old version? in other words, can one assume that running under a compatibility mode meets the certification testing of a 3rd party database for that compatibility version?

    many thanks for any information!

  • Check with the vendor. Some will say yes, some will refuse support if @@version doesn't match what they support. I've even seen one that checked the product major version and refused to work at all if it didn't match what was expected.

    Gail Shaw
    Microsoft Certified Master: SQL Server, MVP, M.Sc (Comp Sci)
    SQL In The Wild: Discussions on DB performance with occasional diversions into recoverability

    We walk in the dark places no others will enter
    We stand on the bridge and no one may pass
  • aha. i didn't know that about vendor support conditions like that. we will verify this with the vendor as to not violate any support terms.

    but in theory, the behaviour should be that same whether running under a compatibility level vs the actual version, right?

  • Not necessarily, no. In most cases, but there are changes that don't fall under the compat modes

    Gail Shaw
    Microsoft Certified Master: SQL Server, MVP, M.Sc (Comp Sci)
    SQL In The Wild: Discussions on DB performance with occasional diversions into recoverability

    We walk in the dark places no others will enter
    We stand on the bridge and no one may pass
  • any lists available for those types of changes? just curious.

  • It's mostly cases where the parsing rules have been tightened. Don't know if there's a list. It's why you need to run upgrade advisor and run tests before upgrading anything.

    For example, this would run on SQL 2000, but not on SQL 2005

    SELECT name, name

    from sys.objects

    order by name

    Gail Shaw
    Microsoft Certified Master: SQL Server, MVP, M.Sc (Comp Sci)
    SQL In The Wild: Discussions on DB performance with occasional diversions into recoverability

    We walk in the dark places no others will enter
    We stand on the bridge and no one may pass

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