SQL Server 2016 SP2 CU8: A Must-Have Update for Improved Performance and Security

Microsoft has released yet another cumulative update for SQL Server 2016 Service Pack 2. SP2 CU8 is packed with fixes for a variety of issues that users have reported. While you may have thought that the urgent security update earlier this month was the only patch you’d have to do for SQL Server 2016 in July, there’s no getting around this one.

Let’s take a closer look at some of the issues that have been addressed in this update. Firstly, there was an issue with restoring compressed encrypted backups that would cause them to fail. This has now been fixed, so you can safely restore backups without worrying about data loss.

Another issue that was fixed is related to data masking. In the previous version, data masking didn’t work as expected. With this update, you can use data masking to protect sensitive data and comply with data privacy regulations.

DAX query needs memory 200x larger than the database size was another issue that has been resolved. This fix should make it easier for users to query large datasets without running into memory issues.

Peer-to-peer replication fails if your host name isn’t uppercase. This was another issue that was causing problems for users, but with the latest update, you can now use peer-to-peer replication without worrying about this issue.

Query Store cleanup can fill the transaction log and cause an outage. This was a critical issue that has now been addressed, ensuring that Query Store cleanup doesn’t cause any outages.

Distributed Availability Groups cause memory dumps when automatic seeding. This issue has also been resolved, ensuring that Distributed Availability Groups don’t cause any memory dumps.

AG replication stops working due to internal thread deadlocks. This issue was causing frustration for users, but with the latest update, replication should work as expected.

The deadlock monitor can cause an access violation. This issue has also been fixed, ensuring that the deadlock monitor doesn’t cause any access violations.

Query a view with a union on a linked server, boom. Another issue that has been fixed is related to querying a view with a union on a linked server. This fix should make it easier for users to query linked servers without running into issues.

Concurrent inserts into a clustered columnstore index can deadlock. This issue has been resolved, ensuring that concurrent inserts into a clustered columnstore index don’t cause any deadlocks.

Infinite loop when FileTable is used for a long time without a restart. This issue has also been fixed, ensuring that FileTable doesn’t cause an infinite loop.

SSAS 2016 randomly crashes. This was another critical issue that has been resolved in the latest update, ensuring that SSAS 2016 doesn’t crash unexpectedly.

Transparent Data Encryption doesn’t encrypt if it’s restarted mid-encryption. This issue has also been addressed, ensuring that Transparent Data Encryption works as expected.

This update includes many more fixes, so if you’re using SQL Server 2016, it’s essential to install SP2 CU8 as soon as possible to ensure your system is running smoothly.

For more information on this update, you can refer to Microsoft’s site here: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/topic/cumulative-update-8-for-sql-server-2016-sp2-3940b92d-6c41-6b13-b1a3-b1d2fa6a062d. While a new SP1 CU will likely be published shortly, it’s recommended to stay up to date with the latest patches and avoid running on older versions, as they may not receive any updates or support from Microsoft.