SQL Server 2012: Installation and Configuration

How do you configure Windows correctly for running SQL Server 2012? Which Edition of SQL Server 2012 should you select? How do you choose a RAID level for the SQL Server storage? Which installation options should you choose for SQL Server, and how do you keep SQL Server up-to-date after installing it? This course answers all these questions and more. The course begins by explaining why it is so important to install SQL Server 2012 correctly, and then explains how to configure Windows for stability and performance, choose a storage RAID level that takes the anticipated SQL Server workload into account, and test the storage to ensure it has the performance required. It then describes and shows the SQL Server 2012 installation process, including which options to choose or not, along with common configuration mistakes to avoid. After that it explains how to keep your SQL Server 2012 instance up-to-date with Service Packs and Cumulative Updates, as well as post-installation configuration tasks such as provisioning tempdb. Finally it explains how to configure Database Mail and SQL Server Agent Alerts so that you are notified of critical errors when they occur, plus installing and configuring a simple solution for regular database maintenance, such as backups and index rebuilds. This course is perfect for anyone who is installing SQL Server for the first time and needs guidance on how to properly configure Windows, SQL Server, storage, and regular maintenance so that the SQL Server installation is stable, performs well, and adheres to configuration best practices.