SQL Server 2016 reached end-of-support in July 2026. For many organisations, this process is already behind them or is currently underway.

A large proportion of organisations carry out the migration as quickly and easily as possible, using the ‘lift-and-shift’ model. Same environment, new address. This has proved to be an expensive option.

Migration rarely occurs

A thorough reassessment of the database environment typically takes place every five, or even ten, years. In day-to-day operations, capacity and cost issues take a back seat. It is often more important that the environment simply works.

Migration is an exception. It is the moment when the entire architecture is in its initial state, open. And it is also the moment when incorrect sizing can be locked in for years to come.

Lift-and-shift simply moves the problem to a new location. A properly planned migration solves the problem, whilst saving hundreds of thousands of euros.

Three paths to migration

In practice, every customer has three options:

  • Direct upgrade to the new version. The quickest option, but all capacity and configurations are carried over as they are
  • Lift-and-shift to the cloud. The same scaling problem now applies to cloud pricing, which is charged on a monthly basis
  • Properly scaled migration. First, analyse the actual capacity requirements and scale the destination accordingly. Migrate to the correct size

What does correct sizing mean in practice?

The SQL Governor capacity analysis collects 30 days’ worth of data from the environment. Peak loads, seasonal peaks and the actual utilisation rate of resources are analysed. The system then calculates how much capacity is actually required.

In most environments, there is 25–50 per cent excess capacity. In a properly scaled migration, this excess capacity is not carried over. Costs relating to licences, hardware and data centre space are reduced in the same proportion.

We have sized and migrated hundreds of environments. There has been zero downtime in any of them. This is because a properly sized target system is easier to migrate.

The window is now open

An end-of-support migration is a rare opportunity. It will not arise again for the next 5–10 years. If the migration is carried out without a capacity analysis, the next opportunity to optimise the system will not come until then.

→ Request our migration assessment before finalising the architecture: www.dbproservices.fi