January 24, 2011 at 8:42 am
Hi there community:
Quick skinny:
Small Biz(95 employees) has been far behind in technology....we have no datawarehouse up to this point. Only way we can get data is by using an application provided by our warehouse management vendor.
We realize we need to migrate to a more robust accounting(we've been thinking SAP) and database framework if we truly intend on growing.
On the db side, we want to move to SQL Server so that we can transfer/load/integrate the data from our warehouse vendor into more meaningful, relevant data that we use internally.
Question:
Is there a certain version of SQL server that accommodates small businesses? And I'm imaging we need to purchase server(s) to support this and other applications(like SAP). Is there a certain network/server that's built for this?
Thx for any insight!
January 24, 2011 at 9:07 am
Do you already have MS products? There is Small Business Server, but that feels like a large load for one system.
I might look at Standard edition unless you really think there is a huge benefit to the Enterprise edition that will benefit your company.
January 24, 2011 at 10:00 am
On the db side, we want to move to SQL Server so that we can transfer/load/integrate the data from our warehouse vendor into more meaningful, relevant data that we use internally.
I am assuming that a small business such as yours, does not have an abundant surplus of $$$ to expended on this effort. That said, I would recommend a gradual approach.
1. Review the features available in the various SQL 2008 Editions at:
http://www.microsoft.com/sqlserver/2008/en/us/editions.aspx
2. Down load SQL SERVER 2008 EXPRESS edition - it is free and will run on either a desktop or any server that you may have installed.
2a. Down load SQL SERVER 2008 DEVELOPER edition - cost about $100 USD. Note: The edition can not be used as a production db, but rather to develop/test code/results
3. Develop your DB and load with data from your warehouse vendor.
4. Develop T-SQL statements, functions whatever to determine if you can extract the data required for your firms business requirements.
5. Evaluate the data extracted in step 4 to determine if it truly meets the needs of your business.
Equipped with the information developed you will be in a better position to make a decision as what software and what hardware will be required.
January 24, 2011 at 10:36 am
For starters, I would recommend you double check the necessity of SAP. It's a unique product and it can be expensive to find technical support for it. There are a number of softwares out there and SAP is, to be blunt, a royal pain in the heinie if you're not very familiar with the technical side of it.
You really can't even get near the DB layer, either, though that can be somewhat bloated too because it supports this abstraction layer.
That said, if you go SAP you'll want SQL Standard, install it on a solid server (100-150k), hook SAP to it... and walk away from it. SAP does just about everything besides scheduling backup maintenance jobs, and it might even do that for you.
Now, to your other questions. 🙂 SQL Standard is meant for small-medium businesses with a decent data load. Express has a number of limitations that you might not hit initially, but you don't want to try to run SAP from it. Enterprise has a number of secondary features and things turned on that you won't need for a while until you're deep in the software and it's gone from 'feature' to 'backbone'. It also costs about 3x as much.
SQL Server Workgroup is supposed to be a more lightweight version for small businesses. I've never used it so I've never personally dealt with what the limitations are there. However, some official links:
http://www.microsoft.com/sqlserver/2008/en/us/workgroup.aspx
http://www.microsoft.com/sqlserver/2008/en/us/editions-compare.aspx
The big deal for workgroup is it appears to be for end-consumption only. It won't handle publishing a replication or node failovers, it's missing some performance reporting, and SSIS/AS/RS doesn't seem to run from it. This can be a big deal, especially the SSIS. I'd recommend going standard.
You'll want some reasonable drive availability. Look into some RAID shelves for your network. You'll want your Databases and logs on RAID 5 at the least, RAID 10 by preference. You'll want a separate (logically at least) drive for your OS, and you'll want some relatively high-speed backup space to grow into.
On the whole you're probably looking at 50-250k for an initial setup if you have no equipment already in place and buy reasonably high end gear new. If you've got available hardware to install into and the like, you're just looking at licensing prices.
In regards to the SQL Licensing, you don't want to go with CAL licensing unless you're going to be running a lot of servers and not many people. You're inverting that, a couple of servers with a bunch of people. Go processor licensing.
Check this out for some recent information I dug up:
http://www.microsoft.com/sqlserver/2008/en/us/pricing.aspx
Enterprise: ~25-30k/processor. Standard: ~5-10k/processor. On average.
Software Assurance means you get upgraded versions later when they come out. Think 'upgrade insurance'. You'll want to research it at some point.
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January 24, 2011 at 12:01 pm
bitbucket-25253 (1/24/2011)
2a. Down load SQL SERVER 2008 DEVELOPER edition - cost about $100 USD.
FYI: it only costs $50. http://www.google.com/#num=10&hl=en&newwindow=1&q=SQL+SERVER+DEVELOPER+EDITION&um=1&ie=UTF-8&tbo=u&tbs=shop:1&source=og&sa=N&tab=wf&biw=1280&bih=867&fp=8ce0e008a607e93d
Wayne
Microsoft Certified Master: SQL Server 2008
Author - SQL Server T-SQL Recipes
January 24, 2011 at 2:20 pm
In terms of the server software, like Craig and Steve said I think I'd look primarily at Standard Edition. One other option you might want to consider would be 2008 SBS Premium, especially if you're looking to get your other systems more up to date, and have an older AD setup currently in place. The Premium edition includes an additional Windows 2008 license which can be installed on a second server, and the included copy of SQL Server (2008 or 2005 standard edition) can be installed on that rather than the SBS box, so allowing you to keep it running on its own rather than share resources with AD, Exchange etc.
In cost terms, you'd need to work out which works best in your situation. Depending on the number of users, SBS Premium can be a cheaper option than buying the software separately, but the fact that you need to buy the more expensive SBS Premium CAL's for it can make it more expensive if you have more than a certain number of users connecting to it.
In terms hardware etc, and the rest of it really, I think your first port of call is to work out what exactly you're going to be doing with the new system, how much load it'll generate, what you'll be running on it etc, and only then bother looking at what servers etc you'll need. I've seen TOO many companies rush to buy hardware to fit a perceived requirement, only to find they under spec some part of it, and can't easily upgrade to resolve the problem. If you're not that familiar with SAP or similar it might not even be a bad idea to speak to someone with experience in it, since they'll have more of an idea of what will be required, and how to get everything linked together. Not cheap, but possibly cheaper than blowing a load of money on something you find afterwards doesn't do what is required.
January 25, 2011 at 5:33 pm
Yeah, we use MS Office suite of products(mostly Outlook, Excel, and Access).
Many thx..I'm gonna research Small Biz Server.
January 25, 2011 at 5:41 pm
Great insight folks...I see I'm gonna have to double time my research efforts! 🙂
We have a very aggressive goal of doubling revenues this year and we simply can't reach it with the tools we have today. We simply have to build a more robust and dependable data/system framework.
Thx again!
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