Migration Check List

As SQL Server 2005 support ends. many of the users are now thinking about migration, here is the check list for the database migration.

1.How many (and where are they located) SQL Server 2005 instances in use today?

2. How many databases are hosted on the SQL Server 2005 instances?

3. How much storage is required to accommodate (present/long term) these databases?

4. Are the SQL Server instances targeted for consolidating, physical or Virtual?

5. If you are moving to Virtualization, is your virtual infrastructure storage capable of supporting all consolidated SQL Server databases?

6. Are there any 32-BIT instances of SQL Server?

7. Are there any SQL Server 2005 Failover Clustered Instances? a. Details on configuration, servers, storage utilization/type etc.

8. What SQL Server Instance Security Model is required (SQL/Windows or Mixed)?

9. Are there compliance and or audit considerations?

10. Is this Database instance consolidation only or does it involve SSAS, SSRS, SSIS?

11. Provide overview of applications are using SQL Server 2005?
 a. Overview on Application/IIS Servers
 b. Prioritize by mission criticality

12. How are the applications written with regards to accessing the SQL Server Instance name?
a. SQL Alias
b. DSN
c. Hardcoded connection string
d. Are you in a position (developers or 3rd party) to handle the application level changes?
e. What does the application vendor support for latest version of SQL Server?

13. Do you have an understanding of existing workloads for each instance in use today?

14. How is “good performance” measured?
a. As being able to accommodate x number of connections?
b. Server side performance?
i. CPU load, I/O load, user load?
c. End user response to Applications?

15. What is max allowable downtime for instances/databases being upgraded?

16. Details of SQL Server environment:
a. Relational Database: i. Online Transaction Processing (OLTP) ii. Data Warehouse (EDW)
b. SQL Analysis Services (SSAS)
c. SQL Reporting Services (SSRS)
d. SQL Server Integration Services (SSIS)

17. Architecture Details:
a. Failover Cluster
b. Virtualization
c. Geography
d. Replication (SAN)
e. Replication (DB)
f. Mirroring