Architecture Warehouse not data

Writer: Erik Veerman, Solid Quality Mentors

Technical Reviewer: Mark Theissen, Scotty Moran, Val Fontama

Summary: This paper provides an overview and guide to SQL Server® Fast Track Data Warehouse, a new set of reference architectures created for scale-up (SMP) SQL Server based data warehouse solutions. It includes a summary of the resources available in the reference configuration, the distinguishing features of the approach, and the steps necessary to take full advantage of the new architectures.

The performance and stability of any application solution—whether line of business, transactional, or business intelligence (BI)—hinges on the integration between solution design and hardware platform. Choosing the appropriate solution architecture—especially for BI solutions—requires balancing the application’s intended purpose and expected use with the hardware platform’s components. Poor planning, bad design, and misconfigured or improperly sized hardware often lead to ongoing, unnecessary spending and, even worse, unsuccessful projects.

This paper is a companion resource for Microsoft’s new SQL Server Fast Track Data Warehouse reference architectures, which provide tested, pre-configured architectures and architectural guidance for a BI solution’s database components and hardware systems. The Fast Track reference configuration resources provide planning tools, architectural decision guidance, best practices for design and tuning, specific hardware configurations from Dell and HP, and the tools needed to create a new reference configuration on any hardware platform.

The ultimate goal of the Fast Track reference configurations is to take the guesswork out of hardware and architectural decisions for the database layer of Microsoft SQL Server-based BI solutions. To help you get started with the Fast Track reference architectures, understand their approach and value, and use them to implement the best possible solution, this paper includes:

• An overview of the new Fast Track reference architectures
• A review of BI fundamentals and applicable hardware considerations
• The tested Fast Track reference architecture components and options
• Prescriptive guidance for designing and optimizing a solution
• Resources available to help you choose or create a new hardware configuration

The Fast Track Data Warehouse reference configurations focus on the central database component of a BI solution, commonly called the data warehouse or data mart. These Fast Track reference configurations target solutions on a single server estimated at up to 32TB of data.

The intended audience for this paper includes IT executives and managers, solution architects, IT infrastructure planners, and project managers. If you are responsible for the ownership, management, planning, or design of a BI solution, this paper will give you the skills and resources you need to make the best decisions for your solution.