I could not agree more with Steve's post. I have been a DBA for a very long time now and the thought of eliminating service packs does not settle well with me. I realize that CU updates are released regularly, however; how many of you have installed one of these updates and encountered issues having to wait for the next update to fix the issue. I read about them on a regular basis and when I do I couldn't be more thankful that I didn't install the update. I typically wait for the service pack because by the time it is released all of those problems that were caused in the CU's are fixed.

Yes, it is also time consuming to install these CU's on a regular basis and in an environment that is 25x7 that is not something that can be done. Another major downfall.. cu's are not inclusive.. so if you miss one... UGH

It seems to me that Microsoft is falling down on the job. They want more money for their software and expect to take less quality for that added cost. Give us a complete package, all inclusive, that has been tested for months that we can have confidence in... this would be the Service Pack.