Appendix. Installing SQL Server
In this appendix, I’ll walk you through the process of installing SQL Server and the AdventureWorks 2012 sample database. Note that I will be using SQL Server 2012 Standard Edition, which is commonly used in production environments. Installing other production editions looks almost exactly the same, but installing the Express edition has a few minor differences. If you’re installing Express, you should still be able to use this walkthrough to get started. As a reminder, you can download SQL Server Express 2012 from www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=29062; I suggest the SQLEXPRADV download for either 64-bit (x64) or 32-bit (x86), depending on the OS your computer runs.
For my lab environment, I prefer to use a VM. Note that if you want parallelization to work, your VM will need to be assigned at least two virtual processors. That only impacts one lab in this book, so it’s not a big deal if you can only give it one virtual processor. You can use Hyper-V if your computer supports it, or a product like VMware Workstation. On a Mac, you can use something like Parallels or VMware Fusion.
I recommend using a newer OS, like Windows 7 or Windows 8. You can also use a server OS, such as Windows Server 2012. If you don’t own a copy of one of these, you can get a free trial from Microsoft’s website. You can, of course, install SQL Server directly on a Windows 7 or Windows 8 (or later) computer that you already own.