SQL Server 2012: Service Pack 1 (SP1) now available

Some days ago, the 6th of November, the first Service Pack for SQL Server 2012 was made available on the Microsoft website.

SQL Server 2012 Service Pack 1 includes SQL Server 2012 Cumulative Update 1 (CU1) and SQL Server 2012 Cumulative Update 2 (CU2) and therefore all hotfixes that they were included.

Which issues are fixed in the SP1:

There are 13 issues fixed:

• 2 for Availability Group
• 1 for SSIS
• 1 for Data Quality Client
• 4 for Data Quality Services
• 1 for Cluster
• 4 for Master Data Services

What’s new for SQL Server 2012 SP1:

• Cross-Cluster Migration of AlwaysOn Availability Groups for OS Upgrade
• Selective XML Index
• DBCC SHOW_STATISTICS works with SELECT permission
• New DMV returns statistics properties(sys.dm_db_stats_properties)
• SSMS Complete in Express
• SlipStream Full Installation(You can install a SQL Server 2012 SP1 directly)
• Business Intelligence highlights (with SQL Server 2012 SP1, Office and SharePoint Server 2013 )
• Management Object Support Added for Resource Governor DDL

Historic of SQL Server 2012

If you update your SQL Server 2012, you will have a new build version: 11.00.3000.
I give you a quick summary of Microsoft SQL Server 2012 builds since the beginning:

If you want more informations and download this SQL Server 2012 Service Pack 1 click here.

Conclusion

After eight months Microsoft has released first Service Pack for SQL Server 2012.
SQL Server Service Pack 1 includes fixes to issues and also quit a lot of good new features.
Service Pack are very critical and important for bug fixing point of view and product upgrade so take care to install it quickly.
Microsoft has also released in october a Security Bulletin to resolve a vulnerability in Microsoft SQL Server on systems running SQL Server Reporting Service. So if you use SSRS don’t forget also to install this security patch.
Microsoft provides also SQL Server 2012 Feature Pack which is a collection of stand-alone packages which provide additional value for Microsoft SQL Server 2012 SP1.