Linux loves SQL Server 2017!

By Charles

July 3, 2017

Database Services, sql server


You read that correctly. SQL Server 2017 is coming to LINUX.

Why is SQL Server 2017 coming to Linux?

Good question.

Linux has been around for decades and is a stable and solid platform, but it has usually been offered ‘free’.

I started using Linux before using SQL Server, so my excitement is at record levels.

I remember a client asking if it was possible to run SQL Server on Linux in 2008!

If you are after a free edition of SQL Server 2017, you will need to look for the Express Edition.

Just because SQL Server 2017 will be available on Linux does not mean it will be ‘free’ for all editions.

I imagine it will have the same price structure as SQL for Windows.

Why is SQL Server 2017 coming to Linux NOW?

The cloud is currently the platform that every business is pushing.

Everything is as a service and usually revolves around completely masking the operating system from the business.

If you use Office 365, you only see a web interface with the ability to add users etc. you don’t have to install Microsoft Exchange onto a windows server to use the exchange mailboxes.

So the OS is not necessarily crucial in our cloud age.

When you have a successful product, you want as many users to be able to access it as possible.

Some companies prefer or require Linux/Unix OS for their environment, so this is now a potential market growth territory.

When will SQL Server 2017 appear?

Definite dates have yet to be decided, but SQL Server 2017 appears to be the name, so I am pretty confident it will be during 2017.

You can download the public preview right now for various Linux distributions.

My personal favourite is SLES or SUSE Linux Enterprise Server, but that is what I have become most familiar with over the last two decades.

Charles

About the author

Microsoft Certified SQL Server DBA with over a decades experience including work for large FTSE 250 companies amongst others. The SQL Server stack has been the focus of almost all of my career in IT. I have experience designing, supporting and troubleshooting large Data Platform deployments.

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