Downloading and Installing SQL Server 2017: Tips and Tricks for a Smooth Setup
Introduction
If you are looking for a reliable and robust relational database management system for your data-driven applications, you might want to consider SQL Server 2017. SQL Server 2017 is the latest version of Microsoft's flagship database product, which has been in the market since 1989. SQL Server 2017 offers many new and improved features that can help you store, process, analyze, and secure your data efficiently and effectively.
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However, before you decide to download and install SQL Server 2017, you should be aware of its editions, installation requirements, benefits, and drawbacks. In this article, we will provide you with an overview of these aspects of SQL Server 2017. By the end of this article, you should have a better understanding of what SQL Server 2017 can do for you and your business.
What is SQL Server 2017?
SQL Server 2017 is a relational database management system (RDBMS) developed by Microsoft. It is software that allows you to store, change, and manage relational data effectively. Relational data is data that is organized in tables with rows and columns. Each table represents an entity or an object, such as a customer or a product. Each row represents an instance or a record of that entity or object. Each column represents an attribute or a property of that entity or object.
SQL Server 2017 uses the Transact-SQL (T-SQL) language to interact with the data stored in the tables. T-SQL is an extension of the standard SQL language that adds some proprietary features and functions to make it more powerful and expressive. You can use T-SQL to create queries that retrieve, insert, update, delete, or manipulate data in various ways.
SQL Server 2017 also provides many other features and components that enhance its functionality and usability. Some of these features and components are:
Database Engine: This is the core component of SQL Server that manages the storage and processing of data. It also enforces data integrity, security, availability, backup, recovery, transactions, concurrency control, indexing, statistics, etc.
Analysis Services: This is a component that provides online analytical processing (OLAP) and data mining capabilities. It allows you to create multidimensional models (cubes) and tabular models (tables) that can be used for complex data analysis and reporting.
Integration Services: This is a component that provides extract-transform-load (ETL) capabilities. It allows you to design workflows that can extract data from various sources (such as files or databases), transform it according to your business rules (such as cleansing or aggregating), and load it into a destination (such as a data warehouse or a data mart).
Reporting Services: This is a component that provides reporting capabilities. It allows you to create reports that can display data from various sources (such as databases or cubes) in various formats (such as tables or charts). SQL Server 2017 Editions
SQL Server 2017 comes in five different editions, each with its own features and pricing. The edition you choose depends on your data needs, budget, and performance expectations. The following table compares the main features and capabilities of the different editions of SQL Server 2017.
Edition Description Supported Features --- --- --- Enterprise The premium offering, SQL Server Enterprise edition delivers comprehensive high-end datacenter capabilities with blazing-fast performance, unlimited virtualization, and end-to-end business intelligence, enabling high service levels for mission-critical workloads and end-user access to data insights. All features, including advanced analytics, machine learning, high availability, security, scalability, etc. Standard SQL Server Standard edition delivers basic data management and business intelligence database for departments and small organizations to run their applications and supports common development tools for on-premises and cloud, enabling effective database management with minimal IT resources. Most features, except some advanced analytics, machine learning, high availability, security, scalability, etc. Web SQL Server Web edition is a low total-cost-of-ownership option for Web hosters (including choosing Web edition on IaaS on Azure) and Web VAPs to provide scalability, affordability, and manageability capabilities for small to large-scale Web properties. Limited features, mainly for web applications and services. Developer SQL Server Developer edition lets developers build any kind of application on top of SQL Server. It includes all the functionality of Enterprise edition, but is licensed for use as a development and test system, not as a production server. SQL Server Developer is an ideal choice for people who build and test applications. All features, but only for development and testing purposes. Express SQL Server Express edition is a free entry-level database that is ideal for learning and building desktop and small server data-driven applications. It is the best choice for independent software vendors, developers, and hobbyists building client applications. Limited features, mainly for small-scale data-driven applications. You can download the SQL Server 2017 Developer or Express edition for free from the Microsoft website. You can also download a trial version of the SQL Server 2017 Enterprise or Standard edition from the Microsoft Evaluation Center.
SQL Server 2017 Installation Requirements
Before you download and install SQL Server 2017, you should make sure that your system meets the minimum hardware and software requirements. These requirements vary depending on whether you are installing SQL Server 2017 on Windows or Linux.
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Hardware requirements
The following table lists the minimum and recommended hardware requirements for installing SQL Ser