CAREWare should always work with the newest version of Microsoft SQL Server and the latest patch, so upgrading to the latest SQL Server Version and patch is recommended. Though CAREWare can run on MS SQL Server 2008, we do not recommend running CAREWare on older versions of SQL Server for security and support reasons.


Some CAREWare installations are managed by IT departments that handle the SQL Server for you. If that is the case, you should get guidance from them. If you don’t have an IT department that can help you with acquiring SQL Server, you likely have two choices: buying SQL Server and installing the free SQL Express.


As a rule of thumb, for small to medium sized providers with 10 or fewer users, SQL Express should be fine. Because it limits databases to 10GB and it only runs on one processor, larger CAREWare installations should use the full version of the SQL Server. (The Standard Edition is all that CAREWare needs, but it also works with the Web and Enterprise editions.)


To obtain the latest version of SQL Express, start here:


https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/sql-server/sql-server-editions-express

Some non-profit providers have reported that they have obtained the full version of SQL Server with user licenses at a deep discount through Tech Soup, but larger institutions may not qualify. You can get the details here:


http://www.techsoup.org/

You can also get more information on the full version of SQL server at this link:


https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/sql-server/sql-server-2016

If you have questions, please contact the CAREWare Help Desk.

The latest patch for SQL Server can be downloaded here

Some version of SQL Server are no longer updated or supported by Microsoft. Click here to review the lifecycle of SQL Server by version.