diff --git a/include/maxscale/query_classifier.h b/include/maxscale/query_classifier.h
index ff36205d9..0d4b91800 100644
--- a/include/maxscale/query_classifier.h
+++ b/include/maxscale/query_classifier.h
@@ -379,21 +379,19 @@ typedef struct query_classifier
      * is classified. Note that the server version is maintained separately
      * for each thread.
      *
-     * @param major  The major version.
-     * @param minor  The minor version.
-     * @param patch  The patch version.
+     * @param version  Version encoded as MariaDB encodes the version, i.e.:
+     *                 version = major * 10000 + minor * 100 + patch
      */
-    void (*qc_set_server_version)(uint32_t major, uint32_t minor, uint32_t patch);
+    void (*qc_set_server_version)(uint64_t version);
 
     /**
      * Get the thread specific version assumed of the server. If the version has
      * not been set, all values are 0.
      *
-     * @param major  The major version.
-     * @param minor  The minor version.
-     * @param patch  The patch version.
+     * @param version  The version encoded as MariaDB encodes the version, i.e.:
+     *                 version = major * 10000 + minor * 100 + patch
      */
-    void (*qc_get_server_version)(uint32_t* major, uint32_t* minor, uint32_t* patch);
+    void (*qc_get_server_version)(uint64_t* version);
 } QUERY_CLASSIFIER;
 
 /**
@@ -784,20 +782,18 @@ char* qc_typemask_to_string(uint32_t typemask);
  * is classified. Note that the server version is maintained separately
  * for each thread.
  *
- * @param major  The major version.
- * @param minor  The minor version.
- * @param patch  The patch version.
+ * @param version  Version encoded as MariaDB encodes the version, i.e.:
+ *                 version = major * 10000 + minor * 100 + patch
  */
-void qc_set_server_version(uint32_t major, uint32_t minor, uint32_t patch);
+void qc_set_server_version(uint64_t version);
 
 /**
  * Get the thread specific version assumed of the server. If the version has
  * not been set, all values are 0.
  *
- * @param major  The major version.
- * @param minor  The minor version.
- * @param patch  The patch version.
+ * @return The version as MariaDB encodes the version, i.e:
+ *         version = major * 10000 + minor * 100 + patch
  */
-void qc_get_server_version(uint32_t* major, uint32_t* minor, uint32_t* patch);
+uint64_t qc_get_server_version();
 
 MXS_END_DECLS
diff --git a/query_classifier/qc_mysqlembedded/qc_mysqlembedded.cc b/query_classifier/qc_mysqlembedded/qc_mysqlembedded.cc
index 77597fc4d..a5ef760bd 100644
--- a/query_classifier/qc_mysqlembedded/qc_mysqlembedded.cc
+++ b/query_classifier/qc_mysqlembedded/qc_mysqlembedded.cc
@@ -99,9 +99,7 @@ static thread_local struct
     // The version information is not used; the embedded library parses according
     // to the version of the embedded library it has been linked with. However, we
     // need to store the information so that qc_[get|set]_server_version will work.
-    uint32_t version_major;
-    uint32_t version_minor;
-    uint32_t version_patch;
+    uint64_t version;
 } this_thread;
 
 #define QTYPE_LESS_RESTRICTIVE_THAN_WRITE(t) (t<QUERY_TYPE_WRITE ? true : false)
@@ -2600,18 +2598,14 @@ int32_t qc_mysql_get_function_info(GWBUF* buf,
     return QC_RESULT_OK;
 }
 
-void qc_mysql_set_server_version(uint32_t major, uint32_t minor, uint32_t patch)
+void qc_mysql_set_server_version(uint64_t version)
 {
-    this_thread.version_major = major;
-    this_thread.version_minor = minor;
-    this_thread.version_patch = patch;
+    this_thread.version = version;
 }
 
-void qc_mysql_get_server_version(uint32_t* major, uint32_t* minor, uint32_t* patch)
+void qc_mysql_get_server_version(uint64_t* version)
 {
-    *major = this_thread.version_major;
-    *minor = this_thread.version_minor;
-    *patch = this_thread.version_patch;
+    *version = this_thread.version;
 }
 
 namespace
diff --git a/query_classifier/qc_sqlite/qc_sqlite.c b/query_classifier/qc_sqlite/qc_sqlite.c
index 4e6d56ee5..63bea623b 100644
--- a/query_classifier/qc_sqlite/qc_sqlite.c
+++ b/query_classifier/qc_sqlite/qc_sqlite.c
@@ -2910,8 +2910,8 @@ static int32_t qc_sqlite_get_canonical(GWBUF* query, char** canonical);
 static int32_t qc_sqlite_query_has_clause(GWBUF* query, int32_t* has_clause);
 static int32_t qc_sqlite_get_database_names(GWBUF* query, char*** names, int* sizep);
 static int32_t qc_sqlite_get_preparable_stmt(GWBUF* stmt, GWBUF** preparable_stmt);
-static void qc_sqlite_set_server_version(uint32_t major, uint32_t minor, uint32_t patch);
-static void qc_sqlite_get_server_version(uint32_t* major, uint32_t* minor, uint32_t* patch);
+static void qc_sqlite_set_server_version(uint64_t version);
+static void qc_sqlite_get_server_version(uint64_t* version);
 
 static bool get_key_and_value(char* arg, const char** pkey, const char** pvalue)
 {
@@ -3530,22 +3530,24 @@ int32_t qc_sqlite_get_preparable_stmt(GWBUF* stmt, GWBUF** preparable_stmt)
     return rv;
 }
 
-static void qc_sqlite_set_server_version(uint32_t major, uint32_t minor, uint32_t patch)
+static void qc_sqlite_set_server_version(uint64_t version)
 {
     QC_TRACE();
 
+    uint32_t major = version / 10000;
+    uint32_t minor = (version - major * 10000) / 100;
+    uint32_t patch = version - major * 10000 - minor * 100;
+
     this_thread.version_major = major;
     this_thread.version_minor = minor;
     this_thread.version_patch = patch;
 }
 
-static void qc_sqlite_get_server_version(uint32_t* major, uint32_t* minor, uint32_t* patch)
+static void qc_sqlite_get_server_version(uint64_t* version)
 {
     QC_TRACE();
 
-    *major = this_thread.version_major;
-    *minor = this_thread.version_minor;
-    *patch = this_thread.version_patch;
+    *version = this_thread.version_major * 10000 + this_thread.version_minor * 100 + this_thread.version_patch;
 }
 
 /**
diff --git a/server/core/query_classifier.cc b/server/core/query_classifier.cc
index 6da6f60bd..47cf32905 100644
--- a/server/core/query_classifier.cc
+++ b/server/core/query_classifier.cc
@@ -902,18 +902,22 @@ uint32_t qc_get_trx_type_mask(GWBUF* stmt)
     return qc_get_trx_type_mask_using(stmt, qc_trx_parse_using);
 }
 
-void qc_set_server_version(uint32_t major, uint32_t minor, uint32_t patch)
+void qc_set_server_version(uint64_t version)
 {
     QC_TRACE();
     ss_dassert(classifier);
 
-    classifier->qc_set_server_version(major, minor, patch);
+    classifier->qc_set_server_version(version);
 }
 
-void qc_get_server_version(uint32_t* major, uint32_t* minor, uint32_t* patch)
+uint64_t qc_get_server_version()
 {
     QC_TRACE();
     ss_dassert(classifier);
 
-    classifier->qc_get_server_version(major, minor, patch);
+    uint64_t version;
+
+    classifier->qc_get_server_version(&version);
+
+    return version;
 }