title: Is the SQL Server 2012 version of Microsoft.SqlServer.Types' geometry UDT backward compatible with SQL Server 2008?
body: <p>If I had both SQL Server 2008 and SQL Server 2012 installed locally, I would simply try this for myself; however I only have the newer version installed and would like to keep it that way.</p>
  
  <ul>
  <li>SQL Server 2008 comes with an assembly <code>Microsoft.SqlServer.Types.dll</code>, major version 10.</li>
  <li>SQL Server 2012 comes with an assembly <code>Microsoft.SqlServer.Types.dll</code>, major version 11.</li>
  </ul>
  
  <p>Among other things, both assemblies expose a <a href="http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/microsoft.sqlserver.types.sqlgeometrybuilder.aspx"><code>SqlGeometryBuilder</code> type</a>. The one notable difference between the two assembly versions is that the 2012 type has an additional overloaded method <code>AddCircularArc</code>, and the 2008 type does not.</p>
  
  <p>Since <a href="http://kentb.blogspot.com/2008/11/visual-studio-referencing-same-assembly.html">it's not exactly trivial (and perhaps a bad idea) to reference both assemblies in parallel</a>, I wonder whether I can just use the 2012 version &mdash; even against a SQL Server 2008 instance, as long as I don't make use of <code>AddCircularArc</code>.</p>
  
  <p>Can anyone share their experience if they have tried this?</p>