By Sergiu Gatlan
Publication Date: 2026-11-12 12:11:00
Microsoft has confirmed that Windows updates released since the October 2026 Patch Tuesday are causing SQL Server performance and stability issues.
As detailed in a Windows release health dashboard update on Wednesday, this is caused by server queries that leave connections open after the queries complete. These connections accumulate instead of closing, degrading server performance over time.
“This issue affects SQL Server linked server queries that use OLE DB providers to connect to external databases. Oracle and PostgreSQL connections are among those known to be affected,” Microsoft explained.
“In affected environments, administrators might observe an increasing number of open connections to external databases, even when the associated SQL Server linked server queries are no longer running.”
It also added that admins may be able to manually close connections left open due to this bug or restart the SQL service to temporarily address stability and…