Supported technologies and de-support notices for future releases are subject to change.
The following sections describe the technologies supported by the latest version of ebs and planned versions:
4.48
ebs version 4.48 is due for release in June 2025.
The technologies planned for support by ebs version 4.48 are listed in the following table.
| Infrastructure type | Component | Application | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Application server |
Operating System (OS) |
Windows Server 2022 Windows Server 2019 Windows Server 2016 |
- |
|
Database Client |
SQL Server Client Tools |
- |
|
|
Microsoft IIS |
Web Server role |
For each ebs application server hosting websites. |
|
|
Microsoft PowerShell |
Version 4 or later |
- |
|
|
.Net Framework compatibility |
.Net 4.8.1 .Net 4.8 |
- |
|
|
Database server |
Operating System (OS) |
Windows Server 2022 Windows Server 2019 Windows Server 2016 |
Refer to database vendor for support. |
|
Database and SQL Server Reporting Services (SSRS) |
SQL Server 2022 SQL Server 2019 SQL Server 2017 SQL Server 2016 |
Either Standard or Enterprise edition licenses can be used depending upon the level of resilience required. SQL Server Collation should be set to Latin1_General_CI_AS. It is recommended that the drives that hold data and logs be formatted to use 64K unit allocation sizing. Windows 2016 is the minimum operating system for SQL Server 2019. CU2 (Cumulative Update 2) or higher is required for SQL Server 2019. Refer to Database Platform for more information about a known issue with SQL Server 2019 CU9, CU10, CU11 and CU12. |
|
|
Desktop or Client |
Operating System (OS) |
Windows 11 Windows 10 |
Windows 10 - October 2025 Microsoft end of life. |
|
Microsoft |
Microsoft Access or Microsoft Access Runtime |
Required for English institutions wishing to import LARS Learning Aims data from the LARS .mdb database provided by the Employment and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA). |
|
|
Microsoft Office Compatibility (Excel and Word integration) |
365 2019 2016 |
Office 2016 and 2019 Microsoft extended support ends October 2025. |
|
|
.Net Framework compatibility |
.Net 4.8.1 .Net 4.8 |
- |
De-support notices for 4.48:
-
Old staff Markbook
4.49
ebs version 4.49 is due for release in Q4 2025.
The technologies planned for support by ebs version 4.49 are listed in the following table.
| Infrastructure type | Component | Application | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Application server |
Operating System (OS) |
Windows Server 2025 Windows Server 2022 Windows Server 2019 Windows Server 2016 |
- |
|
Database Client |
SQL Server Client Tools |
- |
|
|
Microsoft IIS |
Web Server role |
For each ebs application server hosting websites. |
|
|
Microsoft PowerShell |
Version 4 or later |
- |
|
|
.Net Framework compatibility |
.Net 4.8.1 .Net 4.8 |
- |
|
|
Database server |
Operating System (OS) |
Windows Server 2025 Windows Server 2022 Windows Server 2019 Windows Server 2016 |
Refer to database vendor for support. |
|
Database and SQL Server Reporting Services (SSRS) |
SQL Server 2022 SQL Server 2019 SQL Server 2017 SQL Server 2016 |
Either Standard or Enterprise edition licenses can be used depending upon the level of resilience required. SQL Server Collation should be set to Latin1_General_CI_AS. It is recommended that the drives that hold data and logs be formatted to use 64K unit allocation sizing. Windows 2016 is the minimum operating system for SQL Server 2019. CU2 (Cumulative Update 2) or higher is required for SQL Server 2019. Refer to Database Platform for more information about a known issue with SQL Server 2019 CU9, CU10, CU11 and CU12. |
|
|
Desktop or Client |
Operating System (OS) |
Windows 11 Windows 10 |
Windows 10 - October 2025 Microsoft end of life. |
|
Microsoft |
Microsoft Access or Microsoft Access Runtime |
Required for English institutions wishing to import LARS Learning Aims data from the LARS .mdb database provided by the Employment and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA). |
|
|
Microsoft Office Compatibility (Excel and Word integration) |
365 2019 2016 |
Office 2016 and 2019 Microsoft extended support ends October 2025. |
|
|
.Net Framework compatibility |
.Net 4.8.1 .Net 4.8 |
- |
De-support notices for 4.49:
-
Old staff Markbook Verification screen will be de-supported in 4.49 following the release of a replacement screen in 4.46. This will see the old staff Markbook fully de-supported.
-
Old learner Absence Reporting screen will be de-supported in 4.49 following the release of a replacement screen in 4.45.
4.50
ebs version 4.50 is due for release in Q2 2026.
The technologies planned for support by ebs version 4.50 are listed in the following table.
| Infrastructure type | Component | Application | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Application server |
Operating System (OS) |
Windows Server 2025 Windows Server 2022 Windows Server 2019 Windows Server 2016 |
- |
|
Database Client |
SQL Server Client Tools |
- |
|
|
Microsoft IIS |
Web Server role |
For each ebs application server hosting websites. |
|
|
Microsoft PowerShell |
Version 4 or later |
- |
|
|
.Net Framework compatibility |
.Net 4.8.1 .Net 4.8 |
- |
|
|
Database server |
Operating System (OS) |
Windows Server 2025 Windows Server 2022 Windows Server 2019 Windows Server 2016 |
Refer to database vendor for support. |
|
Database and SQL Server Reporting Services (SSRS) |
SQL Server 2022 SQL Server 2019 SQL Server 2017 |
Either Standard or Enterprise edition licenses can be used depending upon the level of resilience required. SQL Server Collation should be set to Latin1_General_CI_AS. It is recommended that the drives that hold data and logs be formatted to use 64K unit allocation sizing. Windows 2016 is the minimum operating system for SQL Server 2019. CU2 (Cumulative Update 2) or higher is required for SQL Server 2019. Refer to Database Platform for more information about a known issue with SQL Server 2019 CU9, CU10, CU11 and CU12. |
|
|
Desktop or Client |
Operating System (OS) |
Windows 11 Windows 10 |
Windows 10 - October 2025 Microsoft end of life. |
|
Microsoft |
Microsoft Access or Microsoft Access Runtime |
Required for English institutions wishing to import LARS Learning Aims data from the LARS .mdb database provided by the Employment and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA). |
|
|
Microsoft Office Compatibility (Excel and Word integration) |
365 2019 2016 |
Office 2016 and 2019 Microsoft extended support ends October 2025. |
|
|
.Net Framework compatibility |
.Net 4.8.1 .Net 4.8 |
- |
De-support notices for 4.50:
-
SQL Server 2016 (Microsoft extended support end date 14th July 2026).
4.51
ebs version 4.51 is due for release in Q2 2026.
The technologies planned for support by ebs version 4.51 are listed in the following table.
| Infrastructure type | Component | Application | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Application server |
Operating System (OS) |
Windows Server 2025 Windows Server 2022 Windows Server 2019 |
- |
|
Database Client |
SQL Server Client Tools |
- |
|
|
Microsoft IIS |
Web Server role |
For each ebs application server hosting websites. |
|
|
Microsoft PowerShell |
Version 4 or later |
- |
|
|
.Net Framework compatibility |
.Net 4.8.1 .Net 4.8 |
- |
|
|
Database server |
Operating System (OS) |
Windows Server 2025 Windows Server 2022 Windows Server 2019 |
Refer to database vendor for support. |
|
Database and SQL Server Reporting Services (SSRS) |
SQL Server 2022 SQL Server 2019 SQL Server 2017 |
Either Standard or Enterprise edition licenses can be used depending upon the level of resilience required. SQL Server Collation should be set to Latin1_General_CI_AS. It is recommended that the drives that hold data and logs be formatted to use 64K unit allocation sizing. Windows 2016 is the minimum operating system for SQL Server 2019. CU2 (Cumulative Update 2) or higher is required for SQL Server 2019. Refer to Database Platform for more information about a known issue with SQL Server 2019 CU9, CU10, CU11 and CU12. |
|
|
Desktop or Client |
Operating System (OS) |
Windows 11 |
|
|
Microsoft |
Microsoft Access or Microsoft Access Runtime |
Required for English institutions wishing to import LARS Learning Aims data from the LARS .mdb database provided by the Employment and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA). |
|
|
Microsoft Office Compatibility (Excel and Word integration) |
365 |
- |
|
|
.Net Framework compatibility |
.Net 4.8.1 .Net 4.8 |
- |
De-support notices for 4.51:
-
Windows Server 2016 (Microsoft extended support end date 11th January 2027).