SQL Server Knowledge Sharing Network (@sqlmaster)

SQL server 2008 R2 setup - feature installation, side-by-side support with previous versions

Here is a setup based question raised in my recent SASSUG usergroup meeting when specifying about slipstream installation during the installation of SQL Server 2008 R2.

Once you click on Setup application and pass through the screens with default & input values until the point you reach SQL Server 2008 R2 setup - Setup Role screen. You will be presented with 3 options (see screenshot below): 

• SQL Server Feature Installation - where you pick and choose to install SQL Server Database Engine services & Reporting Services but not Integration Servers or Analysis Services with other features. To have a full view of features you may select all the features to install.
• SQL Server PowerPivot for Sharepoint - which is the newest addition to 2008 R2 version [see PowerPivot | Home], to install PowerPivot for SharePoint on a new/existing SharePoint 2010 (only). A note here that if you want to use this feature make sure you have installed the SharePoint on the server to make best use of PowePivot.
• All Features with Defaults - this is nothing but an installation of all the features by assigned default values for service accounts to be a local admin on server etc.

The question was what is the best way to choose the installation, is it feature installation (pick & choose) or all features with default. Well I would say if you do not have any use of Analysis Services or Reporting Services then best option is to take feature installation where you can pick & choose, as there is no point to install the services that would occupy storage & memory where you do not have a good use of them. Say if you plan to use SSAS or SSRS in near future and there are certain security policies in your network that will avoid/long time to obtain server access then best practice is to select 'All Features with Default' and once installation is completed then disable the services to avoid any clash and for future use. Not only that when you select 'All features with Default' you have an option to deselect any service that you don't want to install,

Now the point is to manage the versions with side-by-side installation, SQL Server 2008 R2 side-by-side installation with previous versions is supported until SQL Server 2000, if you have SQL server 7 on the same machine you have to upgrade it to minimum level of 2000 compatibility. Its very rare to see a multiple versions of SQL Server on the same server, unless your application is not a 24/7 & highly transactional you wouldn't have to keep it that way. SQL Server supports multiple instances of the Database Engine, Analysis Services, and Reporting Services on the same computer. You can also upgrade earlier versions of SQL Server, or install SQL Server on a computer where earlier SQL Server versions are already installed. By design if the previous version of SQL Server is a default instance then you have to install 2008 R2 as a named instance, as you cannot have more than 1 default instance per server.

Here is the snippet from BOL that shows side-by-side support for SQL Server 2008: