Gouache painting of four identical jars of preserves on a shelf, one filled with vermilion jam

Identify SQL Server Version From a Backup File

To identify SQL Server version from a backup file, run RESTORE HEADERONLY and read DatabaseVersion and SoftwareVersionMajor. This post makes a demo backup, reads its header, and maps the numbers to products. It also shows how to compare the backup with your server in T-SQL, and why a header sometimes fails to read on an older server.

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