What is the SQL CEIP Service?

From the same company that brought you services like SQL Server and SQL Server Agent comes a service that you may not be as familiar with, one you may have looked at for years but never knew the reasoning for it being there. I’m talking about the SQL Server CEIP service. “What’s that for?” you may ask yourself. If we take a look at the description we might find more information.

Ok, maybe not.

CEIP stands for Customer Experience Improvement Program and is a Microsoft service used to collect information on how SQL Server is being used. Microsoft can then use the data collected to determine what areas of SQL Server need improvement.

Details on what information is collected can be found in the SQL Server privacy supplement.

Can this service be disabled?

Yes, but only if you’re paying for SQL Server. If you’re using SQL Server Developer Edition or SQL Server Express Edition, you’re going to have to accept sending information back to Microsoft.

I’m Paying for SQL Server, How do I Disable?

You’ll want to click Start > Programs and then find your SQL Server Error and Usage Reporting. Open that application and you’ll see a window like the following:

Click the Options button to see a list of instances and details of what is currently selected.

Click the two top check boxes above the Options button to uncheck them which will also uncheck the boxes below and click OK. This won’t disable the CEIP service but it will no longer be sending collected data.

Should I Have CEIP Enabled or Disabled?

As with many questions related to SQL Server, the answer is “it depends.” Obviously, it is beneficial to Microsoft to get this information for the reasons mentioned above; however, your business may see sending data as a security risk and conclude that it must be disabled. I would lean towards disabling but it’s not something that will keep me up at night.

Thanks for reading!