Here's some of it.

SUMMARY

If you apply the initial release version of Microsoft SQL Server 2005 Service Pack 2 (SP2), existing SQL Server 2005 maintenance plans and Integration Services packages that contain cleanup tasks run those tasks at shorter intervals. The issue occurs only if all the following conditions are true:

•You downloaded SQL Server 2005 SP2 before March 05, 2007, and installed that download package.

•You use SQL Server 2005 maintenance plans or Integration Services packages.

•Those plans or packages include History Cleanup tasks or Maintenance Cleanup tasks.

The resolution for this issue is described in the "Resolution" section.

Users of SQL Server 2000 legacy maintenance plans and users who downloaded SP2 after March 05, 2007 are not affected. On this date, SQL Server 2005 SP2 was refreshed to include an update that avoids this issue.

Note This problem only affects the main SQL Server 2005 SP2 packages. These packages use the following naming convention:

SQLServer2005SP2-KB921896-ProccessorType-Language.exe

This problem does not affect SQL Server 2005 Express Edition or SQL Server 2005 Feature Pack packages.

The following table lists the file version of the affected version of the SQL Server 2005 SP2 package together with the refreshed version of this package.

Package typeFile version

Affected self-extracting executable file9.0.3042.0

Refreshed self-extracting executable file9.0.3042.1

Important The fix that is included in the refreshed version of the SQL Server 2005 SP2 package is included in all later SQL Server 2005 hotfix packages.

If you have not installed SQL Server 2005 SP2

The original release version of SQL Server 2005 and SQL Server 2005 SP1 do not have this issue, and the current SQL Server 2005 SP2 download is updated to resolve this issue. If you have not installed the initial release version of SP2, you can download the current release and install it.

Note If you try to apply the SP2 refresh over a previous SP2 installation, no files are updated. Instead, use the general distribution release (GDR) update below.

Back to the top

If you downloaded SQL Server 2005 SP2 before March 05, 2007

If you downloaded SQL Server 2005 SP2 before March 05, 2007, apply the general distribution release (GDR) update for those SQL Server 2005 SP2 installations. The GDR update is available at the Microsoft Download Center:

Critical Update for SQL Server 2005 Service Pack 2 (http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=85124)

After you apply this GDR update, you might have to restart the computer.

The GDR update corrects the interpretation of cleanup tasks that were created by using the original release version of SQL Server 2005 and by using SQL Server 2005 SP1. If you created or edited maintenance plans or Integration Services packages by using the initial release version of SQL Server 2005 SP2, you must verify and update the cleanup task intervals after you apply the GDR update. If you do not do this, cleanup tasks will retain data longer than intended.

To verify and update cleanup task intervals, follow these steps:

1.Open the maintenance plan or the Integration Services package.

2.Open each cleanup task.

3.Adjust the cleanup interval to the correct value.

4.Save the plan or the package.

Files that are updated by the GDR update and by the SP2 refresh

Updated fileInitial SP2 release versionPost-GDR update and SP2 refresh versionLocation

Microsoft.SqlServer.MaintenancePlanTasks.dll9.00.3042.00 9.00.3043.00%ProgramFiles%\Microsoft SQL Server\90\DTS\Tasks and the global assembly cache (GAC)

Microsoft.SqlServer.MaintenancePlanTasksUI.dll9.00.3042.00 9.00.3043.00GAC

Tests to determine which version of SQL Server 2005 SP2 is installed should inspect the file in %ProgramFiles%\Microsoft SQL Server\90\DTS\Tasks. If the SP2 file version is greater than or equal to 9.00.3017.00 and less than 9.00.3042.00, the SP2 version is pre-release and you should install the SP2 refresh. If the file version equals 9.00.3042.00, the version is the initial SP2 release, and you should apply the GDR update.

The GDR update detects file versions and updates the files as necessary. However, if you need to verify file versions, you can use Microsoft Windows Explorer or the Filever command-line utility:

•To check the file version on individual computers, open Windows Explorer, right-click the file, select Properties, and then click the Version tab.

•To help with checking file versions on many computers, the Filever command-line utility is available. For more information about the Filever command-line utility, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

913111 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/913111/) How to use the Filever.exe tool to obtain specific information about a file in Windows