SQL Server 2005 Upgrade Advisor and compatibility

This week we are running SQL Server 2005 Application Compatibility Labs in the UK for our ISV partners. An opportunity for an ISV to work with subject matter experts to ensure their solution which is today using SQL Server 2000 will work without issue on SQL Server 2005. I imagine many of you are now saying "Why run labs - my app worked just fine when I moved it onto SQL Server 2005". Yep - we have seen the same - the vast number of our early adopters have moved to 2005 with no issues or minor (albeit repeating) issues. BUT... we have found that for some applications the problems can be more subtle and not immediately obvious. A minority - but enough for us to offer the labs this week to our early adopters. I will let you know how we get on.

Which leads me nicely to the release of Upgrade Advisor earlier this month. This tool will analyze instances of SQL Server 7.0 and SQL Server 2000 in preparation for upgrading to SQL Server 2005. Check it out. Give it a whirl even if you already believe your application runs fine on SQL Server 2005 and post here your experiences. Enjoy.