SQL Server 2000 Consolidation: a business case

Based on vast experience with consolidation projects in small, medium, and large environments,

Scalability Experts offers a unique and proven methodology that takes a phased approach to SQL

Server consolidation. The next few sections of this white paper will explain this approach.

The Scalability Experts SQL Server consolidation methodology comprises the following five phases:

• Phase 1—scoping and server utilization study

In this phase, the consolidation team is assembled to define the scope of the consolidation and

perform a server utilization study. Defining the scope consists of deciding which servers to

consolidate. A server utilization study encompasses two processes: application profiling, and server

utilization information gathering.

• Phase 2—design of the consolidated servers

The key deliverable for this phase is the new hardware specification, which encompasses the

capability for efficiently scaling up the solution. During this phase, the team studies the

consolidation matrix and the application profiling information to determine the required

performance and capacity.

• Phase 3—migration

One of the key goals of this phase is to outline a cost-effective, efficient, and minimally labor-

intensive migration path for consolidation. The outcome of this phase is a detailed consolidation

framework, customized to include the applications and databases that will be consolidated.

• Phase 4—test and measurement

During this phase, the team tests the solution. Key activities include validating the technology,

testing, and incorporating feedback from the test.

• Phase 5—deployment

This is an active phase rather than an analytical one. In this phase, the team deploys the new

servers and stabilizes the deployment. Once stabilized, the new servers are transitioned to the

operations and support staff, and the team obtains customer sign-off on the project.

Each of these phases is discussed in more detail below.

Phase 1—scoping and server utilization study

Before the project can begin, the consolidation team must be identified and assembled. After the team

is created, the scope must be defined. Scoping involves identifying the servers, applications, SQL

Server instances, and databases to be consolidated, as well as establishing the consolidation’s

guiding principles and goals.

A server utilization study is also required in order to examine the server’s workload characteristics

and enable the design of the consolidated server(s). This study also determines the appropriate

migration path to be followed later in the consolidation effort. The server utilization study includes

application profiling and server utilization information gathering. These steps are discussed below.

Building the consolidation team

The first step in the consolidation effort is to put together the core consolidation team—the group that

will be responsible for overseeing and implementing the process. The consolidation team will include,

at minimum, a project manager, the business sponsors, a representative from each application’s

development or implementation team, SQL Server DBAs from each SQL environment involved

(development, staging, and production), key members of the infrastructure team (networking, storage,

and security), and the business process team.