SQL Server 2000 Consolidation: a business case

SQL Server consolidation—guidelines
Following are some of the general principles of SQL Server instance consolidation:
• Consolidate only homogeneous SQL Server workloads on any single Windows instance. Other
services should not be consolidated with SQL Server instances.
• Initially, limit consolidation efforts to non-mission-critical workloads, so as to gain consolidation
expertise before tackling mission-critical applications.
• Convert all applications and databases to SQL Server 2000 before consolidation begins.
• Do not consolidate transactional and decision support workloads on the same SQL Server instance.
• Consolidate workloads of similar characteristics into a multi-database SQL Server instance.
• Use additional instances when dictated by capacity or use characteristics.
• Use multiple SQL Server instances to keep dissimilar workloads isolated.
• Use multiple SQL Server instances where naming conflicts are significant.
• Avoid the temptation to enhance the functionality of the application or database during the
consolidation.
• Strive to maintain transparency in the user experience while consolidating the workload.
• Use the project to increase standardization in administrative and support procedures.
• Avoid conducting final consolidations during peak processing periods (such as at end-of-month) so
that any minor issues that may occur—such as broken server links and connection-string issues—will
not affect critical processing times.
• Verify that each server or database instance stores data at the same level of classification.
• Servers should only store data from the same functional area. Examples include:
– Finance
– Legal
– Human resources
– Marketing
• Avoid crossing or changing domains when consolidating servers. Exceptions should be handled
carefully for a successful consolidation.
Consolidation entails two key challenges:
• Classifying the consolidation—single instance, multi-instance, and so on
• Creating hardware specifications for the consolidation—including classifying SQL Server instances
by utilization data so that tiers can be established and consolidation decisions can be made
The following section discusses these topics in detail and provides a step-by-step process for planning
a successful consolidation.
SQL Server consolidation—process
Consolidation is a planned process with the specific goal of reducing the number of servers is use.
Too much consolidation—or consolidation for the sake of consolidation—can put business at risk.
An organization’s consolidation efforts should be based on current industry best practices and should
incorporate lessons learned from real-world experience. The organization should be able to measure
the success of its consolidation efforts.
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