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Modern versions of SQL Server are very easy products to install—the setup program walks you through all of the necessary steps to installing the features you need. There are a number of decisions you’ll have to make along the way, which can seem a bit overwhelming, particularly if you’re new to SQL Server. The good news is that Microsoft carefully considered most of the default settings so that they’ll work in many scenarios. And for most installation options, you can change the setting later, even after using the server in production for a while. But in order to ensure that you are able to perform a successful installation with a resulting server that will serve your needs, you should do some careful planning and preparation long before you start up the SQL Server installation program. In this course, you'll learn about the basic hardware and software requirements for a successful installation, and learn about some of the decisions you'll need to make about security and instances of SQL Server. Then we'll explore some of the issues involved in upgrading an existing instance of and older version of SQL Server. You'll see a tool from Microsoft that makes the process way easier, because it identifies issues that you might face during the update process. Then we'll run through an entire installation of SQL Server, as I explore the process and some of the options and decisions you'll face along the way. Then we'll wrap up by looking at how you can configure SQL Server after installation, so that it perfectly suits your needs with the features it needs.

This course does not require any prior experience with Microsoft SQL Server or with database programming.