List of Supported SQL Server versions for SCCM | ConfigMgr

Prajwal Desai
Posted by Prajwal Desai
Supported SQL Server versions for SCCM

This post lists all the supported SQL server versions for SCCM (ConfigMgr) current branch. SQL Server is necessary to host the site database when installing SCCM, and most important, the SQL Server version should be supported by Configuration Manager.

When you are going to install a new instance of ConfigMgr in your setup, you should be aware of support SQL Server versions for SCCM. It is always recommended to go with the latest version of SQL Server, as it is stable and provides better performance.

With the release of Configuration Manager current branch, many organizations are planning to upgrade SCCM 2012/2012 R2 to the latest CB version. One important aspect during the ConfigMgr upgrade is determining whether the installed SQL server version is compatible or not. To determine which version of ConfigMgr you can upgrade to, it is crucial to review the SCCM in-place upgrade paths.

Site databases always use a full SQL install when it comes to CAS and Primary sites. The SQL database server could be on a local server computer or on a remote computer. For SCCM secondary sites, the site database can use a default instance of a full install of SQL Server or SQL Server Express. However, the SQL Server cannot be remote in this case. It should be on the site server computer.

This article lists all the SQL server versions that are supported by Configuration Manager. This will assist you in selecting the SQL server version when installing or upgrading configuration manager. If you are looking for size and scale numbers for Configuration Manager, refer to this link.

Read: How to install SQL Server 2019 for SCCM

SCCM Configurations Required for SQL Server

Listing some of the important configurations required for all SQL server installs for SCCM.

  • Configuration Manager requires a 64-bit version of SQL Server to host the site database.
  • While installing SQL server for SCCM, the site database must use the following Database collation: SQL_Latin1_General_CP1_CI_AS.
  • Only the Database Engine Services feature is required for each site server.
  • SCCM requires Windows authentication to validate connections to the database.
  • Take a look at SQL Server Memory Configurations.
  • SQL Server ports: The Intersite communications use the SQL Server Service Broker, which uses port TCP 4022 by default. And the Intrasite communications between the database engine and various ConfigMgr site system roles use port TCP 1433 by default.

Supported SQL Server versions for SCCM (ConfigMgr)

The below table lists all the supported SQL server versions for SCCM.

Supported SQL Server Versions for SCCMSCCM CAS SiteSCCM Primary SiteSCCM Secondary Site
SQL Server 2022 (Standard, Enterprise)YESYESYES
SQL Server 2019 (Standard, Enterprise) with cumulative update 5 or higher YES YES YES
SQL Server 2017 Express with minimum CU2 or higherNONOYES
SQL Server 2017 (Standard, Enterprise)YESYESYES
SQL Server 2016 ExpressNONOYES
SQL Server 2016 (Standard, Enterprise)YESYESYES
SQL Server 2014 SP2 (Standard, Enterprise)YESYESYES
SQL Server 2014 SP1 (Standard, Enterprise)YESYESYES
SQL Server 2014 Express SP2NONOYES
SQL Server 2014 Express SP1NONOYES
SQL Server 2012 SP3 (Standard, Enterprise)YESYESYES
SQL Server 2012 SP2 (Standard, Enterprise)YESYESYES
SQL Server 2012 Express SP3NONOYES
SQL Server 2012 Express SP2NONOYES
SQL Server 2008 R2 SP3 (Standard, Enterprise)YESYESYES
Supported SQL Server versions for SCCM Current Branch

If you are using an older version of SQL Server for SCCM, you can always perform an in-place upgrade to the next version. For example, if you are running SQL 2014 for SCCM, you can upgrade SQL Server 2014 to 2017.

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Prajwal Desai
Posted by Prajwal Desai
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Prajwal Desai is a Microsoft MVP in Intune and SCCM. He writes articles on SCCM, Intune, Windows 365, Windows Server, Windows 11, WordPress and other topics, with the goal of providing people with useful information.
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