Upgrade the minor engine version of an ApsaraDB RDS for SQL Server instance-ApsaraDB RDS(RDS)-阿里云帮助中心

You can manually upgrade the minor engine version of an ApsaraDB RDS for SQL Server instance. Upgrading the minor engine version provides performance improvements, new features, and bug fixes.

For information about the updates for each minor engine version of ApsaraDB RDS for SQL Server, see Release notes for ApsaraDB RDS for SQL Server minor engine versions.

To upgrade the minor engine version for other database engines, see the following topics:

Prerequisites

Your ApsaraDB RDS for SQL Server instance must meet the following requirements:

Billing method: pay-as-you-go or subscription (Serverless instances are not supported)
Instance type: general-purpose or dedicated (shared instances are not supported)

Limitations

You cannot upgrade the minor engine version for instances that meet any of the following conditions:

The instance is joined to an Active Directory (AD) domain.
The instance is a Serverless instance.
The instance has the simple recovery model enabled.
The instance has LinkedServer.

Check the minor engine version

You can check your instance's current minor engine version in one of the following ways:

Log on to the ApsaraDB RDS console and check the version on the Basic Information page of the target instance.
Connect to the SQL Server instance and run the SELECT @@VERSION command.

Considerations

Category	Description
Before the upgrade	Host environment data loss: The upgrade involves a host migration, which removes all privileged accounts and any programs or files (such as SSIS, SSAS, and SSRS) deployed on the original host. You must migrate or back up these items beforehand. Important ApsaraDB RDS for SQL Server is built on the native Microsoft SQL Server engine and focuses on providing stable and efficient managed database services. If your business requires features such as SSIS, SSAS, or SSRS, you need strong operations expertise to ensure business continuity. Avoid metadata modifications: Do not perform operations such as adding or deleting databases or modifying recovery models during the upgrade. Otherwise, data inconsistency may occur. Impact on SQL Server Agent jobs: During the preparation phase of the upgrade, system job scheduling may be affected. During the upgrade phase, the job scheduling feature is completely disabled and automatically resumes after the upgrade completes. If your business relies heavily on jobs, perform the upgrade during off-peak hours and avoid submitting new jobs during the upgrade. Perform the upgrade during off-peak hours: The upgrade can take from several hours to several days, depending on the instance's data volume. A connection interruption of about 20 to 30 minutes occurs during the upgrade. Perform this operation during off-peak hours and ensure your application has an automatic reconnection mechanism. A high volume of write requests can extend the upgrade duration. Back up data and test compatibility: This upgrade is irreversible. We recommend that you clone a new pay-as-you-go instance to test compatibility and back up all critical data. Scheduled backup limitations: If you choose to upgrade within the maintenance window, scheduled backups for the instance are disabled from the time the upgrade task is initiated until the migration is complete.
After the upgrade	Backup usage display issue: After the upgrade, the Backup Usage field on the Backup Usage page may temporarily display 0. The value corrects itself after the next scheduled backup runs. Compatibility impact: Minor engine version upgrades typically do not cause compatibility issues. However, engine-level tuning can alter certain behaviors. We recommend reviewing the release notes for the corresponding Microsoft SQL Server cumulative update (CU) to check for relevant changes.

Manually update the minor engine version

Go to the Instances page. In the top navigation bar, select the region in which the RDS instance resides. Then, find the RDS instance and click the ID of the instance.
In the Configuration Information section, click Update Minor Engine Version.

Note
If this button is not visible, your instance is either running the latest minor engine version or does not meet the prerequisites.
In the dialog box that appears, select a version from the Latest Version drop-down list, set the Upgrade Time, and then click OK.

For the Upgrade Time parameter, you can select Switch Immediately, Upgrade Within Maintenance Window (default: 02:00–06:00), or Schedule a Time. This upgrade requires underlying data migration, which causes a connection interruption of about 20 to 30 minutes. Ensure your application has an automatic reconnection mechanism.

Automatically upgrade the minor engine version

Important

Automatic upgrades are a supplementary method and do not guarantee that all instances are immediately upgraded to the latest minor engine version. You can view the status of the minor engine version on the Basic Information page of your instance and proactively upgrade the minor engine version to mitigate potential risks associated with outdated versions.
Upgrading the minor engine version of a SQL Server instance causes approximately 20 to 30 minutes of downtime. Enable automatic upgrades with caution and plan a downtime window in advance.

When you purchase an ApsaraDB RDS for SQL Server instance, the Minor Engine Version Update Policy is set to Manual Upgrade by default. If you select Automatic Upgrade and your minor engine version is earlier than the latest version, the system periodically schedules proactive O&M tasks to upgrade the minor engine version. You are notified of these tasks by SMS, email and internal messages. The automatic upgrade is performed within the maintenance window that you configure. You can change the upgrade time in Event Management or cancel a task before it starts. For more information, see Scheduled events.

Modify automatic upgrade settings

Go to the Instances page. In the top navigation bar, select the region in which the RDS instance resides. Then, find the RDS instance and click the ID of the instance.
On the Basic Information page, go to the Configuration Information section and view the setting of Automated Update of Minor Engine Version.
Click Settings to the right of Automated Update of Minor Engine Version.
In the dialog box that appears, select Automatic Upgrade or Manual Upgrade, and click OK.

API reference

You can call the UpgradeDBInstanceKernelVersion API operation to upgrade the minor engine version of an instance.