SQL Server 2016 went out of support on 14 July 2026. Paid security-only updates exist until 17 July 2029, but only for Standard and Enterprise editions, at a price that climbs each year (about 75% of the licence in year one, 150% in year two, 300% in year three), and not for Express, which is what most small NZ firms actually run. The three realistic ways off it are: upgrade SQL Server on a supported Windows Server, move the database into Azure, or move the data and the app into Microsoft 365 and stop running a database server. For a 5 to 20 person firm the third is usually cheapest and is the one nobody quotes you for.
Path 3 in detail, source by source, is on the Power Platform migration hub.
The dates
| SQL Server 2016 | Date |
|---|---|
| Mainstream support ended | 13 July 2021 |
| Extended support ended | 14 July 2026 |
| ESU year 1 ends | 13 July 2027 |
| ESU year 2 ends | 18 July 2028 |
| ESU year 3 ends, final | 17 July 2029 |
SQL Server 2014 is a year further along: support ended 9 July 2024 and its final ESU year ends in July 2027 (Microsoft's own pages give both 8 and 12 July). SQL Server 2017 loses support on 12 October 2027. If you are on 2012 or older, support ended in 2022 and there is no ESU left. All dates from Microsoft's lifecycle pages and the SQL Server ESU FAQ. The full table across SQL Server and Windows Server versions is on the end-of-support dates page.
If the Express database is also near 10 GB, SQL Server Express limits: 10 GB, or 50 GB on 2025 is the clean-up plan that buys time while you choose a path.
Why Express changes the answer
Most small-firm SQL Server installs are Express: the free edition that came bundled with an accounting package, a job-management product, a bespoke app, or was installed by a developer because it costs nothing. Express is not eligible for Extended Security Updates. So the "buy another year" option that large companies use does not exist for you. From 14 July 2026, a SQL Server 2016 Express instance is unpatched with no paid fix available, and it will stay that way. That is a reason to put a date on the migration and stop revisiting it, rather than a reason to panic.
If the Windows Server underneath is 2016 rather than 2012 R2, its own clock runs out on 12 January 2027: Windows Server 2016 loses free updates.
First, find out what it is doing
Open SQL Server Management Studio, or ask whoever last did, and answer four questions: which edition and version exactly (the first line of SELECT @@VERSION), which databases are on it, what connects to each one, and how many rows are in the biggest table. Fifteen minutes. In most small firms the answer is one production database under 5 GB, one application, one Excel link, and two databases nobody recognises. That inventory decides everything below.
The three ways off it
| Path | Right when | What it costs a small NZ firm | What you are left running |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Upgrade in place to SQL Server 2022 or 2025 | A supported vendor product requires SQL Server, or the database is large or heavily coded (many stored procedures, jobs, replication) | Express stays free if it still fits (10 GB per database, or 50 GB on 2025 for Windows). Standard edition is a four-figure licence per core pair plus the Windows Server underneath, which for a 2012 R2 box had its own end date on 13 October 2026 | A server to patch, back up and replace on a cycle |
| 2. Move it to Azure SQL Database or an Azure VM | You want it off the premises fast and the application can point at a new connection string | Azure SQL Database starts at tens of dollars a month for a small database, plus migration; a VM costs more and still needs patching | A monthly Azure bill and a cloud database you administer |
| 3. Move the data and the app into Microsoft 365 | The database is under a few hundred thousand rows, sits behind an Access, bespoke or discontinued front end, and you already pay for Microsoft 365 | $8,000 to $18,000 fixed price for a 5 to 20 person firm, including rebuilding the front end as a Power App; licences $0 (SharePoint) or NZ$32.40 per user per month (Dataverse) | No database server at all |
The big consultancies will quote you paths 1 and 2, because those are the paths their partner programmes reward and their teams are staffed for. Path 3 is the one a seven-person firm actually wants, and it is a small enough job that it does not fit their engagement model. It is exactly the size of job I do. Moving a SQL Server database into Microsoft 365 is the full walk-through: what transfers, what breaks, and the SharePoint-or-Dataverse decision that sets the licence bill.
What to do this month, whichever path
- Take a full backup and restore it somewhere else to prove it works. An unpatched server with an untested backup is the actual risk.
- Get it off the internet. No inbound port 1433 from anywhere, no browsing from the server, no remote desktop open to the world.
- Inventory it with the four questions above.
- Pick the path and put a date on it. Path 3 runs three to eight weeks. If the Windows Server underneath is 2012 R2, it has been unpatched since 13 October 2026, so start now.
How many weeks the move takes, by source and destination, is in how long moving a small business off an old database takes.
For a system that is far past this point, Visual FoxPro ended in January 2015: export the data, then move it.
Common questions
When did SQL Server 2016 go out of support?
Extended support ended on 14 July 2026. Mainstream support had already ended on 13 July 2021. From 14 July 2026 the only security patches come through Microsoft's paid Extended Security Updates, which run in yearly steps to 17 July 2029 and then stop.
Can I buy Extended Security Updates for SQL Server 2016?
Only for Standard and Enterprise editions, and only through volume licensing or Azure Arc; Express, Web and Developer editions are not eligible. Microsoft changed the price structure for 2016: licensing analysts put it at about 75% of the licence price in year one, rising to 150% in year two and 300% in year three, and unlike 2014 there is no free ESU for 2016 on Azure virtual machines. It covers Critical-rated fixes only, no bug fixes and no support. For a small firm running Express, which is the usual case, there is no ESU path at all. Through Azure Arc, Microsoft's NZ pay-as-you-go rate is NZ$0.3357 per core per hour for Standard and NZ$1.3073 for Enterprise (checked 15 October 2026), billed on at least four cores, so about NZ$980 a month for the smallest Standard server.
What is the cheapest way off SQL Server 2016 for a small business?
If the database sits under an Access front end or a bespoke app and has under a few hundred thousand rows, moving it into SharePoint lists or Dataverse and rebuilding the front end as a Power App is usually cheaper over three years than a new SQL Server licence plus a server to run it. Expect $8,000 to $18,000 for a 5 to 20 person firm, and no server afterwards.
Should I upgrade to SQL Server 2022 or 2025 instead?
Yes if a supported vendor product needs SQL Server, or the database is genuinely large or complex. SQL Server 2022 is supported to January 2033 and 2025 to 2036, so an upgrade buys a long runway. It also buys a server to patch, back up and eventually replace, which is the cost most small firms are trying to leave behind.
Want to know which path you are on?
Send me the output of SELECT @@VERSION and the row count of your biggest table. One free 30-minute call and you have a path and a price, or a clear "upgrade it and keep it" if that is the answer.