Support Policies for SQL Server Native Client
Applies to: 
SQL Server
Azure SQL Database
Azure SQL Managed Instance
Azure Synapse Analytics
Analytics Platform System (PDW)
Important
SQL Server Native Client (SNAC) isn't shipped with:
- SQL Server 2022 (16.x) and later versions
- SQL Server Management Studio 19 and later versions
The SQL Server Native Client (SQLNCLI or SQLNCLI11) and the legacy Microsoft OLE DB Provider for SQL Server (SQLOLEDB) aren't recommended for new application development.
For new projects, use one of the following drivers:
For SQLNCLI that ships as a component of SQL Server Database Engine (versions 2012 through 2019), see this Support Lifecycle exception.
This topic discusses how various data-access components can be used with SQL Server Native Client (SNAC).
Server Support
SQL Server Native Client 11.0 supports connections to, SQL Server 2008 (10.0.x), SQL Server 2008 R2 (10.50.x), SQL Server 2012 (11.x), SQL Server 2014 (12.x), and Azure SQL Database.
Supported Operating System Versions
The following table lists which operating systems support SQL Server Native Client.
| SQL Server Native Client version | Supported operating systems |
|---|---|
| SQL Server Native Client (SQL Server 2005) | Microsoft Windows 2000 Service Pack 4 or later Microsoft Windows Server 2003 or later Microsoft Windows XP Service Pack 1 or later Microsoft Windows Vista (requires SQL Server Service Pack 2, or later) Microsoft Windows Server 2008 R2 (requires SQL Server Service Pack 2, or later) |
| SQL Server Native Client 10.0 (SQL Server 2008 (10.0.x)) | Microsoft Windows Server 2003 Service Pack 2, or later Microsoft Windows XP Service Pack 2, or later Microsoft Windows Vista Microsoft Windows Server 2008 R2 |
| SQL Server Native Client 10.5 (SQL Server 2008 R2 (10.50.x)) | Microsoft Windows Server 2003 Service Pack 2, or later Microsoft Windows XP Service Pack 2 or later Microsoft Windows Vista Microsoft Windows Server 2008 R2 Microsoft Windows 7 |
| SQL Server Native Client 11.0 (SQL Server 2012 (11.x) and SQL Server 2014 (12.x)) | Microsoft Windows Vista Microsoft Windows Server 2008 R2 Microsoft Windows 7 Microsoft Windows 8 Microsoft Windows Server 2012 |
ADO Support Policies
ADO applications can use the SQLOLEDB OLE DB provider that is included with Windows if they do not require any of the features of SQL Server 2005 (9.x) or later.
ADO applications can use the version of SQL Server Native Client included in SQL Server 2005 (9.x). ADO applications can also use SQL Server Native Client 11.0 (included in SQL Server 2014 (12.x)), but if they do so they must specify DataTypeCompatibility=80 in the connection strings. Only features from SQL Server 2005 (9.x) are available when DataTypeCompatibility=80 is present in the connection strings.
BCP Support Policies
Beginning in SQL Server 2008 (10.0.x), bcp.exe supports data files that are no more than three SQL Server versions older than the version of SQL Server in which bcp.exe shipped.
ODBC Support Policies
Applications should use the SQL Server ODBC driver included with the Windows operating system. You can use the SQL Server Native Client ODBC driver if the application is certified it for use with a specific version of SQL Server Native Client.
OLE DB Support Policies
Applications should use the SQL Server OLE DB provider included with the Windows operating system. You can use the SQL Server Native Client OLE DB provider if the application is certified for use with a specific version of SQL Server Native Client.
OLE DB applications that have not been certified for use with SQL Server Native Client can use SQL Server Native client if they specify DataTypeCompatibility=80 in their connection strings.
OLE DB applications that use OLE DB Service Components can only use SQL Server Native client if they specify DataTypeCompatibility=80 in their connection strings. However, no features added after SQL Server 2005 (9.x) will be available in this case.
Support Lifecycle
SQL Server Native Client support lifecycle can be found on the SNAC lifecycle explained blog. This lifecycle applies to building database applications using SQL Server Native Client.
Support Lifecycle exception
Limited support is provided for the SQL Native Client 11.0 that gets installed by SQL Server 2012 through 2019 until the SQL Server respective end-of-support lifecycles. This support exception only applies to the SNAC 11 driver that is installed and used by SQL Server components (e.g. SQL Server Engine Linked Servers). This means the driver is supported on Windows versions where SQL Server 2012 through SQL Server 2019 are supported. Do not remove the SQL Native Client provider that gets installed by SQL Server on the system. The support exception only covers critical security fixes and does not include enhancements or fixes to SQL Native Client 11.0.
This support exception does not cover using SQL Native Client 11.0 as a driver for database applications to connect to SQL Server. Any applications using SNAC 11.0 must be updated to use newer versions (see Download ODBC Driver for SQL Server - ODBC Driver for SQL Server and Download Microsoft OLE DB Driver for SQL Server - OLE DB Driver for SQL Server).