With the recent release of SQL Server 2012, the chances of having a mixed set of SQL Server versions in your organization is greater than ever. Knowing the different SQL Server build numbers is an important piece of management information.
In your labs and test environments, you might be running older RC or CTP versions on systems where you might not intend to. Knowing which version of SQL Server you’re using can make an impact both on the ability to run different T-SQL commands as well as the ability to save and restore backups and which upgrade paths may be supported.
Each different version of SQL Server has its own build number. For example, the SQL Server 2012 RTM release has the build number 11.00.2100.60. The first two parts indicate the internal version number. The remaining parts of the build number identity the service pack or interim build number.
There are several ways to determine which version of SQL Server you're running. To find the build number with SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS), open SSMS and launch the Object Browser. The version number is listed immediately following the system name. You can also find the SQL Server build number by opening Query Editor and then running either of the following T-SQL queries:
SELECT @@VERSION
or
SELECT SERVERPROPERTY('productversion'), SERVERPROPERTY ('productlevel'), SERVERPROPERTY ('edition')
Table 1 displays the recent build numbers for SQL Server, from the recent SQL Server 2012 SP1 release to SQL Server 7. For a complete list of SQL Server build numbers, you might want to check out the blog SQL Server Builds.
SQL Server Builds
