This chapter covers
- Meaningful instance names
- Using the correct OS and SQL Server edition
- Automated installation
- SQL Server’s footprint
- Installation considerations in cloud
In this chapter, we will discuss the large array of options that we have for installing SQL Server. If we go back a decade, planning a SQL Server deployment was comparatively straightforward. We had to choose the most appropriate edition of SQL Server to install, and we had to think about how we would install it (GUI vs. script). We needed to consider the features required for the instance and give it an appropriate name, but that was about all.
Fast forward to the present day and the possibilities for SQL Server installation are endless. This can lead to a raft of mistakes, many of which stem from performing traditional installations without considering more optimal alternatives.
In this chapter, we will install a series of SQL Server instances for MagicChoc and explore some of the pitfalls that can await the accidental database administrator (DBA). This will cover multiple aspects of planning and executing deployments, ranging from instance naming to selecting the appropriate operating system environment and SQL Server edition. We will also explore the challenges with manual installations, installing features that are not required, and overconsolidating instances.