Upgrading to SQL Server 2005

You can directly upgrade instances of SQL Server 2000 Service Pack 3 (SP3) or later, and instances of SQL Server 7.0 SP4 or later, to SQL Server 2005. You can perform most upgrade operations through Setup; however, some components support or require you to migrate applications or solutions after running Setup. For more information, see Upgrading SQL Server Components.

Before running Setup to upgrade to SQL Server 2005, you should first review system requirements and the upgrade matrix. To review system requirements, see Preparing to Install SQL Server 2005. To review the upgrade matrix, see Version and Edition Upgrades.

After reviewing system requirements and the upgrade matrix, run SQL Server Upgrade Advisor to analyze your instances of SQL Server 2000 and SQL Server 7.0. Upgrade Advisor produces lists of issues specific to your installations that you must fix before or after upgrading. SQL Server Setup will detect blocking issues that will prevent you from upgrading to SQL Server 2005, but will not list issues that may affect your applications.

In This Section

Topic Description

Version and Edition Upgrades

Lists rules for upgrading from one version of SQL Server to another, or upgrading to a SQL Server edition of the same version.

Using Upgrade Advisor to Prepare for Upgrades

Describes Upgrade Advisor, which analyzes instances of SQL Server 2000 and SQL Server 7.0 and reports known upgrade issues.

Upgrading SQL Server Components

Contains information and instructions for upgrading individual SQL Server components to SQL Server 2005.

Backward Compatibility

Lists the significant changes that might affect your applications when you upgrade to SQL Server 2005.

See Also

Concepts

Preparing to Install SQL Server 2005
Installing SQL Server 2005

Help and Information

Getting SQL Server 2005 Assistance