SQL Server Upgrade Recommendations and Best Practices Part 1: Upgrade Overview and Project Planning

Building the Upgrade Project Plan

An Upgrade project that is critical to the business requires project planning in order to efficiently and accurately complete the project. Due to the sheer size of the project and the number of individuals involved, completing the project properly becomes more of a challenge. Although this can be challenging, as the DBA you are the cornerstone of the SQL Server environment. You can take on this project to benefit the company and showcase your skills to demonstrate that you can take on more responsibility. In order to break down the SQL Server Upgrade project, a DBA must:

• Identify the major project phases¹

• Expand the project phases to granular tasks in the proper sequence¹

• Determine time frame and responsibility per task¹

• Incorporate meetings, sign-off and hyperlinks to existing information into the plan¹

• Leverage a Project Management tool like Microsoft Project 2002.

The next section of the article provides a fundamental outline of the Upgrade Project Phases for the SQL Server 2000 project which can serve as a starting point for the Project Plan.

For additional IT Project Management information, be on the lookout for a Project Management eBook from Jeremy Kadlec in the summer of 2003.