Delivering updates when clients running on different SQL Server versions?

Gooders

This is a general question regarding clients and different SQL Server versions: I am sure that this is an issue that many IT companies encounter - we wish to use the newest features of the latest SQL Server version but various clients are running earlier versions of SQL Server. When new functionality has been implemented into, say, a Win dows app, using the latest SQL Server features, there seem to be a number of options on how this can be delivered to clients:
1. Insist that clients only receive the updates if the update SQL Server to the latest version
2. Also implement an additional work-around for the new app-features that use older SQL Server functionality (requires twice as much testing and management)
3. Only develop new features on a version of SQL Server that all clients can install 
Naturally the management of new app-functionality that is dependent on specific SQL Server versions is also an issue that needs to be managed. Can Redgate tools management such a situation?
I would be interested to hear how other IT-companies deal with this predicament.

Jessica R

Hello and thanks for your post!

We don't have any Redgate tools that can help manage this unfortunately, but I would be interested to hear how other companies handle this as well.