SQL Server Install Guide Part 1
In part 1 of a series on installing SQL Server, I’m going to discuss things to do prior to running the installation program for SQL Server. There are a number of install guides for SQL Server on the internet and plenty of recommendations around installation best practices and how-to’s. This will be what I’ve arrived at over the course of time.
Working with the Database Migration Assistant
This first step I’m going to introduce makes the assumption that this install is going to be for one or more databases that you’re planning to migrate from an existing instance. My first step is to run the Database Migration Assistant from Microsoft. This product is free and can be installed away from your SQL Servers. I run my install from my laptop. After opening the UI and starting an assessment, this tool will scan the source databases selected and determine if there are any breaking changes, behavior changes, or deprecated features between the source and target for your migration.