Data and Collaboration

SQL Server 2016 and SharePoint 2016/2019 Are Out of Support: What Houston Businesses Should Do Now

What changed on July 14, 2026, which products still have a paid safety net, and how to upgrade without breaking the reports and integrations people rely on.

Consultant presenting an analytics dashboard to colleagues, the kind of SQL Server reporting that needs retesting after an upgrade

By DESSS Application Engineering Team

SQL Server 2016 end of support passed on July 14, 2026, the same day SharePoint Server 2016 and 2019 lost extended support, according to Microsoft's lifecycle pages. SQL Server 2016 can still get paid Extended Security Updates; SharePoint cannot. Upgrade SQL Server to 2022 or 2025, and move SharePoint to Subscription Edition or SharePoint Online.

SQL Server 2016 end of support is no longer a future deadline. Microsoft's lifecycle pages show that extended support for SQL Server 2016, SharePoint Server 2016 and SharePoint Server 2019 all ended on July 14, 2026. In many companies these products sit underneath the same business systems, so the fix is one coordinated application migration plan, not three unrelated upgrades.

What Changed on July 14, 2026?

Microsoft stopped shipping regular security updates, bug fixes and assisted support for SQL Server 2016, SharePoint Server 2016 and SharePoint Server 2019. The software still runs. What changed is that newly discovered vulnerabilities in these versions stay unpatched for organizations that have not enrolled in paid coverage, where that coverage exists at all.

Product	Extended support ended	Extended Security Updates
SQL Server 2016	July 14, 2026	Paid, up to three years (Year 3 ends July 2029)
SharePoint Server 2016	July 14, 2026	None listed by Microsoft
SharePoint Server 2019	July 14, 2026	None listed by Microsoft

Why Running Unsupported Versions Is Risky

Unpatched vulnerabilities. SharePoint farms are often reachable from the internet for partners or remote staff, which makes them attractive targets.
Compliance questions. Healthcare organizations around the Texas Medical Center and financial firms answer to auditors and insurers who ask about supported software.
Integration drift. Newer drivers, Office versions and reporting tools gradually stop being tested against old servers.
Bigger jumps later. The longer you wait, the more versions you skip.

Does SQL Server 2016 Have Extended Security Updates?

Yes. Microsoft offers paid Extended Security Updates for SQL Server 2016 for up to three years after end of support, with Year 3 ending in July 2029 according to the lifecycle page. They are a bridge for databases that cannot move yet, not a substitute for an upgrade plan.

Key points from Microsoft's SQL Server ESU documentation:

Instances qualify by connecting to Azure Arc, or by running as SQL Server on Azure VMs registered with the SQL IaaS Agent extension. Disconnected instances may qualify through volume licensing.
Unlike SQL Server 2014, moving SQL Server 2016 to an Azure VM does not bring free ESUs.
Updates ship only when needed, for vulnerabilities Microsoft rates Critical, so there is no regular cadence.
Microsoft advises installing and validating the latest cumulative update when you subscribe.

Upgrade Targets: Where Should Each Product Go?

SQL Server 2022 or SQL Server 2025

Both are supported. Microsoft's lifecycle pages show SQL Server 2022 in extended support until January 2033, and SQL Server 2025, released in November 2025, until January 2036. Microsoft supports an in-place upgrade from SQL Server 2016 SP3 or later directly to SQL Server 2025. SQL Server 2025 has no Web edition, so instances on that edition move to Standard or Enterprise.

Choose 2025 for the longest runway unless a software vendor certifies only 2022. Our SQL Server consulting work usually starts with that vendor check, because certification decides the target more often than features do. Some databases are better suited to Azure SQL Managed Instance when the goal is to stop managing servers.

SharePoint Subscription Edition or SharePoint Online

SharePoint Server Subscription Edition is the on-premises successor. It follows Microsoft's Modern Lifecycle Policy, so it stays supported as long as you keep it updated. Microsoft documents upgrading content databases directly from SharePoint Server 2016 or 2019 to Subscription Edition.

SharePoint Online in Microsoft 365 removes the servers entirely. Microsoft's free SharePoint Migration Tool moves sites and content from SharePoint Server 2016 and 2019.

Option	Choose it when
SharePoint Subscription Edition	Data must stay on-premises, or heavy custom farm solutions remain
SharePoint Online	You want no servers to run and content is mostly documents, lists and simple workflows

The choice does not have to be all or nothing. A common pattern is to move document libraries and team sites to SharePoint Online, while a smaller Subscription Edition farm keeps the custom applications that cannot move yet. Either way, clean out abandoned sites first, since every site you migrate is a site you have to test.

Technician inspecting illuminated server cabling in a server room that hosts database and SharePoint servers

A Migration Approach That Avoids Surprises

Inventory. List every SQL Server instance, database, report server, SSIS package and SharePoint farm, with a named owner. Note the operating system too, because many of these hosts run Windows Server 2016, which has its own deadline covered in our guide to Windows Server 2016 end of support.
Check compatibility. Confirm vendor support, deprecated features and database compatibility levels.
Build the target alongside the old system. Restore copies of production databases into the new environment.
Test with real users, using the checklist below.
Rehearse the cutover, including the rollback.
Cut over and keep the old system read-only for a defined period.

Testing Reports and Integrations

Reports and integrations break more often than the databases themselves. Before cutover:

Run key SSRS and Power BI reports on old and new systems and compare totals, not just whether they render
Test connection strings, linked servers, ODBC drivers and service accounts
Check SQL Server Agent jobs, SSIS packages and scheduled file exports
In SharePoint, test custom web parts, workflows, forms and search
Confirm permissions and external sharing behave as expected

What Should You Do First?

Start with exposure. Find any SharePoint farm reachable from the internet and any SQL Server 2016 instance holding regulated data, then decide quickly whether each database gets ESUs or an upgrade and how fast each farm can move. Everything else can follow a planned schedule.

Limit internet access to on-premises SharePoint, for example by allowing it only over VPN.
Make sure every server has the final updates released before support ended.
Enroll critical SQL Server 2016 instances in ESUs if an upgrade will take months.
Pick targets and schedule the first migration.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I still run SQL Server 2016 after end of support?

Yes. SQL Server 2016 keeps running after July 14, 2026, and your data stays where it is. What you lose is regular security updates, fixes and assisted support from Microsoft. Unless the instance is enrolled in paid Extended Security Updates, any newly discovered vulnerability remains open, which becomes harder to justify to auditors, insurers and customers every month.

Are there Extended Security Updates for SharePoint Server 2016 or 2019?

Microsoft's lifecycle pages list no Extended Security Updates for either version, unlike SQL Server 2016. In practice, the final security update released before July 14, 2026 is the last one. Organizations that cannot migrate quickly should reduce exposure, for example by limiting internet access to the farm, while they move to Subscription Edition or SharePoint Online.

Should we upgrade to SQL Server 2022 or SQL Server 2025?

SQL Server 2025 gives the longest support runway, into 2036, and Microsoft supports upgrading directly to it from SQL Server 2016 SP3. SQL Server 2022 is also supported, into 2033. The deciding factor is usually your software vendors, so check which versions each application vendor certifies before choosing. Also review edition changes, since 2025 drops Web edition.

Can we move straight from SharePoint 2016 to SharePoint Online?

Yes. Microsoft's SharePoint Migration Tool supports SharePoint Server 2016 and 2019 as sources and is free to use. The harder work is deciding what to move, cleaning up old sites, and rebuilding custom solutions or complex workflows that do not carry over. Plan a content inventory and a pilot migration before moving the whole farm.

Get a Clear Upgrade Path

DESSS helps Houston businesses upgrade SQL Server, rebuild or migrate SharePoint farms, and test the reports and integrations that depend on them. Learn more about our SharePoint development and migration services, or contact DESSS to review your environment. Visit us at 2825 Wilcrest Dr #608, Houston, TX 77042, call +1-713-589-6496 or email info@desss.com.