SQL Server Version and Edition

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It is important to choose the correct SQL Server Version and Edition in order to deliver the most cost-effective database environment to the Business.

This section gives advice for choosing the following items:

• Optimal SQL Server Version
• Optimal SQL Server Edition

Optimal SQL Server Version

It is also important that the technology stack does not become an inhibitor to delivering business advantage. If the technology team wait until the business could take advantage of functionality only present in the most recent SQL Server version, there will be a cost of lost opportunity to the business. The cost may be minor or major, but it will always exist.

With proper planning, keeping the major database systems of a business on the latest SQL Server version becomes a line-of-business item for the technology team. For many organisation, this can best be achieved by using a Cloud PaaS solution, but where these are not appropriate then using SQL FineBuild to deliver On-Premise or IAAS environments can be the right choice.

SQL Server 2019

The most recently released SQL Server version, currently SQL2019, contains many features designed to improve the technology that can be offered to the business:

• Availability Group and Distributed Availability Group improvementss that simpilify BCO and Scaleout
• Performance improvements, such as Scalar UDF Inlining
• In-memory processing improvements
• Improved workload monitoring
• Java data type and language support
• Improved security, including use of Secure Enclaves
• Support for working with Containers

SQL Server 2019 should therefore be the version of choice for all new SQL Server installations.

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Optimal SQL Server Edition

Enterprise Edition with Software Assurance

There is a strong case for using Enterprise Edition of the latest version of SQL Server as the main platform that is delivered. When the Software Assurance option is included in the Microsoft License, the following capabilities are available:

• Always On: Provides a framework for delivering the highest possible availability
• Distributed Availability Groups: Provides a simple way of delivering Business Continuity
• PowerBI Server: Provides an industry-leading environment for Visualisations and Reports
• Performance Enhancements: A number of useful performance-related features are only available in Enterprise Edition

SQL FineBuild can build an environment that delivers all of the above. For many organisations, both the OLTP and Data Warehouse environments can justify Enterprise Edition when all the availability, reliability, and feature capability is taken into account.

Developer Edition

The Edition of choice for a Development Environment should be Developer Edition.

All of the features of Enterprise Edition can be provided for the DevOps Team, and SQL FineBuild can deliver all of this.

Other Editions

There wil be some situations where other SQL Server Editions are appropriate.

• Legacy Systems: Where performance and availability are not critical, Standard Edition or Express Edition can be appropriate
• Non Business-Critical Systems: It can be beneficial to segregate critical and non-critical systems, to avoid the risk of a non-critical system impacting main system availability

Copyright FineBuild Team © 2021. License and Acknowledgements

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