SQLServerUpdates.com

The source for SQLServerUpdates.com — a community-maintained list of SQL Server build numbers, cumulative updates, and download links.

The site is static HTML generated from small data files and hosted on GitHub Pages. Contributors keep it current by editing data and opening pull requests — no HTML required.

Quick start

python3 validate.py       # validate the data files
python3 build.py          # generate the site into _site/
python3 test_snapshot.py  # verify output preserves the reference snapshots

No dependencies — just Python 3 (standard library only).

Repository layout

data/
  versions.json              site metadata, nav, and the home-page summary table
  updates/<slug>.csv         one CSV per SQL Server version (the update tables)
  fragments/<slug>.top.html  intro text above each version's table
  fragments/<slug>.bottom.html  footnotes below each table
  fragments/home.top.html    home page intro / outro
  pages/<slug>.html          static pages (download, FAQ, contact, privacy)
assets/style.css             site styling
reference/                   frozen original HTML, used by the fidelity test
build.py                     the generator (stdlib only)
validate.py                  data validation (runs in CI)
test_snapshot.py             verifies historical rows and table structure
.github/workflows/           CI (on PRs) and deploy (to GitHub Pages)

Contributing

See CONTRIBUTING.md. The short version: add a line to the right CSV in data/updates/, open a pull request, and the checks + deploy run automatically.

How hosting works

• Pushes to main trigger .github/workflows/deploy.yml, which builds the site and publishes it to GitHub Pages.
• The custom domain is set via the CNAME file emitted into _site/.
• Existing URLs are preserved exactly (e.g. /sql-server-2022-updates/).

Automated build detection

.github/workflows/poll-feed.yml runs every 6 hours and checks both Microsoft's SQL Server blog RSS feed and latest SQL Server updates table for new cumulative updates, GDR/security updates, and service packs. RSS posts use an LLM (poll_feed.py, OpenAI, called over plain urllib — no dependencies) to extract release details. The Microsoft table is parsed deterministically, so it can discover a new build even when no blog post is published. It adds a row to the right data/updates/*.csv, advances the home-page pointer when the build is higher, and opens a pull request labeled needs-review. A human always reviews before it goes live; the same CI checks run on the change. Automated PRs assign BrentOzar and request his review, which triggers participating notifications. The repository can also be watched with Custom → Pull requests; email and GitHub inbox delivery are controlled in account notification settings. Requires an OPENAI_API_KEY repository secret.

Troubleshooting OpenAI failures

In GitHub Actions, select Poll Microsoft sources for new builds, then Run workflow and enable Test OpenAI access without changing site data. This sends a small request using the same secret and model as the poller, without fetching releases, editing data, or opening a pull request. The log reports the HTTP status, API error code/type, and request ID, without exposing the key or the API's free-form error message.

• credit_balance_exhausted: add prepaid API credits in the key's OpenAI organization's billing settings.
• project_spend_limit_exceeded or organization_spend_limit_exceeded: review the corresponding project's or organization's spending limit.
• organization_usage_limit_exceeded: request a higher approved usage limit.
• rate_limit_exceeded or slow_down: temporary throttling; the poller retries twice, honoring numeric Retry-After values up to 60 seconds. Quota and billing errors are not retried.

After correcting the reported account condition, run the diagnostic again. Once it succeeds, run the workflow with the diagnostic option disabled to resume release detection. Local diagnosis is also available via python3 poll_feed.py --diagnose-api when OPENAI_API_KEY is set.

Version tables display numeric build numbers in descending order. Homepage installation instructions keep the CU and its GDR as separate download links, and Microsoft Support's relative KB links resolve on the Support domain.