Writer: Allan Hirt, Megahirtz LLC (allan@sqlha.com)

Technical Reviewers: Lindsey Allen, Madhan Arumugam, Ben DeBow, Sung Hsueh, Rebecca Laszlo, Claude Lorenson, Prem Mehra, Mark Pohto, Sambit Samal, and Buck Woody

Published: October 2009

Applies to: SQL Server 2008

Many companies are considering or have already implemented consolidation of computing resources, including Microsoft SQL Server instances and databases, in their organization. A consolidation effort is a complex task that requires information, a detailed plan and timeline for success, and a strategy for administering the consolidated environment. This white paper walks through the journey of gathering and analyzing the information to base all planning and implementation decisions on; how to plan, architect, and implement consolidation; and finally, the considerations for administering a consolidated SQL Server environment.

This white paper is based on the Microsoft Operations Framework (MOF). MOF is an iterative approach to the IT lifecycle, and it is designed to bring together both the technical and nontechnical sides of implementation and administration.

Note: This white paper is written for resources within a company who are responsible for planning and executing SQL Server consolidation, as well as administering the consolidated solution. This list of people will vary from company to company, but at a minimum includes the database administrators (DBAs) and those responsible for storage, servers, networking, and applications. The white paper is not intended to be an overview of SQL Server consolidation. For a less technical, higher level paper on SQL Server consolidation, its drivers, and benefits, see the white paper Consolidation with SQL Server 2008.

Because this paper is very long (60 pages), reading it in an online format such as the Library becomes impractical, so we offer it as a downloadable Microsoft Word document.

 - Download “Consolidation Using SQL Server 2008” from the Microsoft Download Center

 - Ask a question in the SQL Server Forums

 - Send Feedback on the white paper