In any BizTalk environment, SQL Server is the heart of the system. It houses the Messagebox, Tracking databases, and Configuration details. Because of this deep dependency, using a supported version of SQL Server is not just a recommendation—it is a requirement for a stable, production-ready environment.
📝 One-Minute Brief
This post features a comprehensive compatibility matrix detailing which versions of SQL Server are supported for every major release of Microsoft BizTalk Server (from 2000 to 2016). It is an essential technical reference for database administrators and integration architects planning new installations, service pack updates, or environment migrations to ensure full vendor support and system stability.
The following table describes the versions of SQL Server that are supported when you use different versions of BizTalk Server:
| BizTalk Server 2016 | BizTalk Server 2013 R2 | BizTalk Server 2013 | BizTalk Server 2010 | BizTalk Server 2009 | |
| SQL Server 2016 | Yes | No | No | No | No |
| SQL Server 2014 | Yes, with SQL Server 2014 Service Pack 1 | Yes | No | No | No |
| SQL Server 2012 | No | Yes, with SQL Server 2012 Service Pack 1 | Yes | No | No |
| SQL Server 2008 R2, including 64-bit | No | No | Yes, with SQL Server 2008 R2 Service Pack 1 or later service pack | Yes | No |
| SQL Server 2008, including 64-bit | No | No | No | Yes, with SQL Server 2008 Service Pack 1 or later service pack | Yes |
| SQL Server 2005, including 64-bit | No | No | No | No | Yes, with SQL Server 2005 Service Pack 2 or later service pack |
| SQL Server 2000, 64-Bit Edition | No | No | No | No | No |
| SQL Server 2000 | No | No | No | No | No |
Older versions:
| BizTalk Server 2000 | BizTalk Server 2002 | BizTalk Server 2004 | BizTalk Server 2006 | BizTalk Server 2006 R2 | |
| SQL Server 7.0 | Yes | Yes, with SQL Server 7.0 Service Pack 3 or later service pack | No | No | No |
| SQL Server 2000 | Yes | Yes, with SQL Server 2000 Service Pack 2 or later service pack | Yes, with SQL Server 2000 Service Pack 3a or later service pack | Yes, with SQL Server 2000 Service Pack 4 | Yes, with SQL Server 2000 Service Pack 4 |
| SQL Server 2000, 64-Bit Edition | No | No | Yes, if the computer that is running SQL Server is remote | Yes | Yes |
| SQL Server 2005, including 64-bit | No | No | No | Yes | Yes |
| SQL Server 2008, including 64-bit | No | No | No | No | No |
| SQL Server 2008 R2, including 64-bit | No | No | No | No | No |
| SQL Server 2012, including 64-bit | No | No | No | No | No |
| SQL Server 2012 R2, including 64-bit | No | No | No | No | No |
| SQL Server Desktop Engine | Yes | Yes | SQL Server Express Edition is supported, but is not recommended | SQL Server Express Edition is supported but is not recommended | SQL Server Express Edition is supported, but is not recommended |
Original source from Microsoft Help and Support: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/926628
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These tables of yours are nicely done!
will you be able to provide an update to this table for BT2013R2 vs SQL2014 SP1, SP2, CUs for SP2 etc…would be very helpful