Extended Support for SQL Server 2008 and 2008 R2 ended in July 2019, and Extended Support for Windows Server 2008 and 2008 R2 will end in January 2020. Upgrading the software to the latest versions is always an option, of course, but for a variety of reasons, that may not be viable or cost-effective for some legacy applications. Another option is to pay an additional fee to continue receiving Extended Security Update support for three more years. But for most organizations, the best option will be to get continued support for free by moving the databases to the Azure cloud.
This article highlights the considerations and challenges involved when migrating mission-critical SQL Server 2008/R2 databases to the Azure cloud and offers some useful suggestions to help avoid common pitfalls.
