Here is a detailed feature-difference comparison of the last 5 versions of Ola Hallengren’s SQL Server Maintenance Solution scripts for the key procedures DatabaseBackup, IndexOptimize, and DatabaseIntegrityCheck.
Last 5 Versions Compared
| Version Date | Key Release Highlights |
|---|---|
| 23 Aug 2025 | Latest with fixes for log shipping exclusion and backup compression support on SQL Server 2025 Std Dev |
| 22 Jul 2025 | Improved secondary replica backup logging and AG replica sync state logs |
| 19 Jul 2025 | Version check updates for online index rebuild; logging improvements for AG database replica status |
| 17 Jul 2025 | Support for non copy-only backups on secondary replicas in SQL Server 2025 |
| 14 Jun 2025 | Migration from xp_fileexist to sys.dm_os_file_exists on SQL Server 2017+ |
Feature Comparison Table
| Feature / Behavior | 23 Aug 2025 | 22 Jul 2025 | 19 Jul 2025 | 17 Jul 2025 | 14 Jun 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| General | |||||
| Support for SQL Server 2025 Standard Dev Backup | New | No change | No change | No change | No change |
| Backup logging on secondary replicas improved | Enhanced | New | No change | No change | No change |
| AG replica synchronization state logging | New | New | No change | No change | No change |
| File existence check method | sys.dm_os_file_exists | xp_fileexist | xp_fileexist | xp_fileexist | xp_fileexist |
| BackupCompression support enhancements | New compression options (ZSTD) & @CompressionLevel param introduced; replaced old param for 3rd party with @CompressionLevelNumeric | No change | No change | No change | No change |
| Exclusion of log-shipped databases in log backup | Bug fix | No change | No change | No change | No change |
| DatabaseBackup – @CleanupMode default changed (before/after) | No change | No change | No change | No change | No change |
| IndexOptimize – Online index rebuild version checks | Enhanced | No change | No change | No change | No change |
| IndexOptimize – Support for resumable index rebuilds | Fixed issues (Azure SQL MI) | No change | No change | No change | No change |
| DatabaseIntegrityCheck – Support @NoInformationalMessages | New | No change | No change | No change | No change |
| Backup support for mirrored and cloud locations | No new change | No change | No change | No change | No change |
| Backup support for Data Domain Boost and third-party tools | No new change | No change | No change | No change | No change |
| Renaming @CheckSum to @Checksum parameter | No change (renamed earlier in Jan 2025) | No change | No change | No change | No change |
Summary
- Breaking changes requiring job modifications:
- Replacement of @CompressionLevel parameter for third-party backup software with @CompressionLevelNumeric introduced with 24 May 2025 release (users must update scripts if using third-party backup compression).
- Earlier (Jan 2025) renaming of @CheckSum parameter to @Checksum requires job updates on case-sensitive servers; a script is provided to automate this.
- Newly introduced parameters or functionality:
- Support for ZSTD compression and compression level control (@CompressionLevel with LOW, MEDIUM, HIGH) added recently.
- Enhanced backup logging for secondary replicas and AG replica synchronization state added.
- Use of sys.dm_os_file_exists introduced to replace xp_fileexist on recent SQL Server versions.
- Added @NoInformationalMessages parameter to DatabaseIntegrityCheck to control verbosity.
- Support for non copy-only full and differential backups on secondary replicas in SQL Server 2025.
- Deprecations/removals:
- Deprecated use of old @CompressionLevel parameter for third-party backup software.
- Removed use of xp_fileexist on SQL Server 2017 and later.
- Key recommendations for upgrading users:
- Review and update job scripts to use the new @CompressionLevelNumeric parameter if using third-party backup tools.
- Ensure renamed @Checksum parameter is used instead of @CheckSum to avoid errors in case-sensitive environments.
- Test backup jobs for enhanced logging output on secondary replicas and AG.
- Verify compatibility with the new file existence check method when upgrading SQL Server to 2017+.
- Take advantage of new compression algorithms and options for performance and storage efficiency.
- Use updated DatabaseIntegrityCheck verbosity options to tailor logging.
Citations
- Ola Hallengren SQL Server Maintenance Solution Version History (detailed changelog): https://ola.hallengren.com/versions.html
- Ola Hallengren SQL Server Backup documentation (parameters and new features): https://ola.hallengren.com/sql-server-backup.html
This comparison focuses on backup, index maintenance, and integrity check enhancements across the last 5 main releases up to August 23, 2025.
Sources
