Need your advices for a SQL Server / SSIS/RS/AS 2005 migration to 2008 (installation methods)

Question

Hello

I have a big migration to do on a datawarehouse server, and your feedback is welcomed.

Here's the situation : I have a server (let's call it SVR1) hosting SQL Server 2005, and SSRS/IS/AS 2005. I need to upgrade everything to 2008.

on the current 2005 version are allready many reports, ssis packages, etc, and they need to stay available while we prepare the new 2008 reports/packages. That's why we plan to use a second temporary server (SVR2) to create the new 2008 environment, create the new SSIS packages, reports, etc, and once everything is ready, migrate everything.

The question is : what's the best to do : install a names instance of SQL Server 2008 on the SVR1 server, install SSIS/AS/RS 2008 on SVR2, pointing on the named instance on SVR1 ? or install the complet 2008 environment (including the SQL Server 2008 instance) on SVR2, and once everything is ready, migrate everything on SVR1 ?

Suggestions are welcomed.

Thank you

Olivier

Answer 1

One suggestion - which might not completely help your current situation, but will make this drop-dead simple next time this happens (and it will happen again!) is to use CNAMEs: Using CNAMEs for Flexibility.

To help your current situation, you could create a CNAME for your current architecture.  Actually, I might create several CNAMEs.  If you ever think you might scale out - as in separate your SQL DB instance from your SSIS and SSRS onto different boxes, I would create several CNAMEs for those different "services".  Map them all to SVR1.  Now change all of your apps/connection strings/etc.. to hit those CNAMEs.  Step 2 - install SQL 2008 using whatever machine name you wish, in whatever configuration you wish.  Then - "service" by "service" you can migrate the work over to the new server just by changing the CNAME alias.  Sound good?  It worked for us...

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