SQL Server capacity planning

Database administrators (DBA) use capacity planning to predict the resources that a SQL Server will need over its lifetime, to provide optimal services for the applications using it.

Best practices include:

• Ensuring the hardware is modular to permit hardware upgrades.
• Ensuring that the server/hardware can be repurposed should the applications outgrow the existing hardware.
• Ensuring that a representative load test is done on the hardware to study its performance characteristics.
• Ensuring that the hardware selected will be powerful enough to support and take advantages of new features and requirements of SQL Server and application upgrades.