Edit

Share via

Install SQL Server from the Installation Wizard (Setup)

  • Article

Applies to: SQL Server - Windows only

This article explains how to install SQL Server with the Installation Wizard.

The installation experience depends on the version of SQL Server. Select your version.

* SQL Server 2016 & SQL Server 2017 *  

SQL Server 2019  

SQL Server 2022  

SQL Server 2016 & SQL Server 2017  

* SQL Server 2019 *  

SQL Server 2022  

SQL Server 2016 & SQL Server 2017  

SQL Server 2019  

* SQL Server 2022 *  

This article provides a step-by-step procedure for installing a new instance of SQL Server by using the SQL Server Setup Installation Wizard. The Installation Wizard provides a single feature tree for installation of all SQL Server components so that you don't have to install them individually. To install the SQL Server components individually, see Install SQL Server.

For other ways to install SQL Server, see:

Get the installation media

The download location for SQL Server depends on the edition:

  • SQL Server Enterprise, Standard, and Express editions. These editions are licensed for production use. For the Enterprise and Standard editions, contact your software vendor for the installation media. You can find purchasing information and a directory of Microsoft partners on the Microsoft purchasing website.

  • The latest free edition.

Prerequisites

Before you install SQL Server, review Plan a SQL Server installation.

For local installations, you must run Setup as an administrator. If you install SQL Server from a remote share, you must use a domain account that has read and execute permissions on the remote share.

Install patch requirement

Microsoft identified a problem with the Microsoft Visual C++ 2013 runtime binaries that are installed as a prerequisite by SQL Server 2016 (13.x) and SQL Server 2017 (14.x). An update is available to fix this problem. If this update to the Visual C++ runtime binaries isn't installed, SQL Server could experience stability issues in certain scenarios. Before you install SQL Server, follow the instructions in the SQL Server release notes to see if your computer requires a patch for the Visual C++ runtime binaries.

This problem isn't applicable to SQL Server 2019 (15.x) and later versions.

Install SQL Server 2016 and SQL Server 2017

1. Installation media

Insert the SQL Server installation media. From the root folder, double-click setup.exe. To install from a network share, locate the root folder on the share, and then double-click setup.exe.

2. SQL Server Installation Center

The Installation Wizard runs the SQL Server Installation Center. To create a new installation of SQL Server, select Installation in the left navigation area, and then select New SQL Server standalone installation or add features to an existing installation.

3. Product Key

On the Product Key page, select an option to indicate whether you're installing a free edition of SQL Server or a production version that has a PID key. For more information, see Editions and supported features of SQL Server 2022.

To continue, select Next.

4. License Terms

On the License Terms page, review the license agreement. If you agree, select the I accept the license terms check box, and then select Next.

Note

SQL Server transmits information about your installation experience, as well as other usage and performance data to help Microsoft improve the product. To learn more about SQL Server data processing and privacy controls, see the privacy statement and Configure usage and diagnostic data collection for SQL Server (CEIP).

5. Global Rules

In the Global Rules page, Setup automatically advances to the Product Updates page if there are no rule errors.

6. Microsoft Update

The Microsoft Update page appears next if the Microsoft Update check box in Control Panel > All Control Panel Items > Windows Update > Change settings isn't selected. Selecting the Microsoft Update check box changes the computer settings to include the latest updates for all Microsoft products when you scan for Windows updates.

7. Product Updates

On the Product Updates page, the latest available SQL Server product updates are displayed. If no product updates are discovered, Setup doesn't display this page and automatically advances to the Install Setup Files page.

8. Install Setup Files

On the Install Setup Files page, Setup provides the progress of downloading, extracting, and installing the Setup files. If an update for Setup is found and you specify to include it, that update is also installed. If no update is found, Setup automatically advances to the next section.

9. Install Rules

On the Install Rules page, Setup checks for potential problems that might occur while running Setup. If failures occur, select an item in the Status column for more information. Otherwise, select Next.

10. Azure Extension for SQL Server

If this is the first installation of SQL Server on the machine, Setup skips the Installation Type page and goes directly to the Feature Selection page. If SQL Server is already installed on the system, you can use the Installation Type page to select either to perform a new installation, or to add features to an existing installation. To continue, select Next.

11. Feature Selection

On the Feature Selection page, select the components for your installation. For example, to install a new instance of SQL Server Database Engine, select Database Engine Services.

A description for each component group appears in the Feature description pane after you select the feature name. You can select any combination of check boxes. For more information, see Editions and supported features of SQL Server 2022.

The prerequisites for the selected features are displayed in the Prerequisites for selected features pane. Setup installs the prerequisites that aren't already installed during the installation step described later in this procedure.

You can also specify a custom directory for shared components by using the field at the bottom of the Feature Selection page. To change the installation path for shared components, either update the path in the field at the bottom of the dialog box or select Browse to go to an installation directory. The default installation path is C:\Program Files\Microsoft SQL Server\nnn\.

Note

The path specified for the shared components must be an absolute path. The folder must not be compressed or encrypted. Mapped drives aren't supported.

SQL Server uses two directories for shared features:

  • Shared feature directory
  • Shared feature directory (x86)

Note

The path specified for each of the above options must be different.

12. Feature Rules

The Feature Rules page automatically advances if all rules pass.

13. Instance Configuration

On the Instance Configuration page, specify whether to install a default instance or a named instance. For more information, see Instance configuration.

  • Instance ID: By default, the instance name is used as the instance ID. This ID is used to identify the installation directories and registry keys for your instance of SQL Server. The same behavior occurs for default instances and named instances. For a default instance, the instance name and instance ID are MSSQLSERVER. To use a nondefault instance ID, specify a different value in the Instance ID text box.

    Note

    Typical standalone instances of SQL Server, whether default or named instances, don't use a nondefault value for the instance ID.

    All SQL Server service packs and upgrades apply to every component of an instance of SQL Server.

  • Installed instances: The grid shows the instances of SQL Server that are on the computer where Setup is running. If a default instance is already installed on the computer, you must install a named instance of SQL Server.

The workflow for the rest of the installation depends on the features that you specified for your installation. Depending on your selections, you might not see all the pages.

14. PolyBase Configuration

Selecting to install the PolyBase feature will add the PolyBase Configuration page to the SQL Server setup, displayed after the Instance Configuration page. PolyBase requires the Oracle JRE 7 Update 51 (at least), and if this isn't already installed, your installation is blocked. On the PolyBase Configuration page, you can choose to use the SQL Server as a standalone PolyBase-enabled instance, or you can use this SQL Server as part of a PolyBase scale-out group. If you choose to use the scale-out group, you need to specify a port range of up to six or more ports.

15. Server Configuration

Use the Service Accounts tab on the Server Configuration page to specify the accounts for SQL Server services. The actual services that you configure on this page depend on the features that you selected to install. For more information about configuration settings, see Installation Wizard help.

You can assign the same account to all SQL Server services, or you can configure each service account individually. You can also specify whether services start automatically, start manually, or are disabled. We recommend you configure service accounts individually to provide the least privileges for each service. Make sure SQL Server services are granted the minimum permissions they must have to complete their tasks. For more information, see Configure Windows service accounts and permissions.

To specify the same account for all service accounts in this instance of SQL Server, provide the credentials in the fields at the bottom of the page.

Important

Do not use a blank password. Use a strong password.

In SQL Server 2016 (13.x) and later versions, select the Grant Perform Volume Maintenance Task privilege to SQL Server Database Engine Service check box to allow the SQL Server Database Engine service account to use database instant file initialization.

Use the Collation tab on the Server Configuration page to specify non-default collations for the Database Engine and Analysis Services.

The default installation setting is determined by the operating system (OS) locale. The server-level collation can either be changed during setup, or by changing the OS locale before installation. The default collation is set to the oldest available version that is associated with each specific locale. This is due to backward compatibility reasons. Therefore, this isn't always the recommended collation. To take full advantage of SQL Server features, change the default installation settings to use Windows collations. For example, for the OS locale English (United States) (code page 1252), the default collation during setup is SQL_Latin1_General_CP1_CI_AS and can be changed to its closest Windows collation counterpart Latin1_General_100_CI_AS_SC.

For more information, see Collation and Unicode support.

16. Database Engine Configuration

  • Use the Server Configuration tab on the Database Engine Configuration page to specify the following options:

    • Authentication Mode: Select Windows Authentication or Mixed Mode Authentication for your instance of SQL Server. If you select Mixed Mode Authentication, you must provide a strong password for the built-in SQL Server system administrator account.

      After a device establishes a successful connection to SQL Server, the security mechanism is the same for both Windows authentication and mixed mode authentication. For more information, see Database Engine Configuration - Server Configuration page.

    • SQL Server Administrators: You must specify at least one system administrator for the instance of SQL Server. To add the account under which SQL Server Setup is running, select Add Current User. To add or remove accounts from the list of system administrators, select Add or Remove, and then edit the list of users, groups, or computers that have administrator privileges for the instance of SQL Server.

  • Use the Data Directories tab on the Database Engine Configuration page to specify nondefault installation directories. To install in the default directories, select Next.

    Important

    If you specify nondefault installation directories, ensure that the installation folders are unique to this instance of SQL Server. None of the directories in this dialog box should be shared with directories from other instances of SQL Server.

    For more information, see Database Engine Configuration - Data Directories page.

  • Use the TempDB tab on the Database Engine Configuration page to configure the file size, number of files, nondefault installation directories, and file-growth settings for tempdb. For more information, see Database Engine Configuration - TempDB page.

  • Use the FILESTREAM tab on the Database Engine Configuration page to enable FILESTREAM for your instance of SQL Server. For more information, see Database Engine Configuration - FILESTREAM page.

17. Analysis Services Configuration

  • Use the Server Configuration tab on the Analysis Services Configuration page to specify the server mode and the users or accounts that have administrator permissions for Analysis Services. The server mode determines which memory and storage subsystems are used on the server. Different solution types run in different server modes. Tabular mode is the default.

    You must specify at least one system administrator for Analysis Services:

    • To add the account under which SQL Server Setup is running, select Add Current User.

    • To add or remove accounts from the list of system administrators, select Add or Remove, and then edit the list of users, groups, or computers that have administrator privileges for Analysis Services.

    For more information about server mode and administrator permissions, see Analysis Services Configuration.

    When you finish editing the list, select OK. Verify the list of administrators in the configuration dialog box.

  • Use the Data Directories tab on the Analysis Services Configuration page to specify non-default installation directories. To install to the default directories, select Next.

    Important

    When installing SQL Server, if you specify the same directory path for INSTANCEDIR and SQLUSERDBDIR, SQL Server Agent and Full Text Search won't start due to missing permissions.

    If you specify non-default installation directories, ensure that the installation folders are unique to this instance of SQL Server. None of the directories in this dialog box should be shared with directories from other instances of SQL Server.

    For more information, see Analysis Services Configuration - Data Directories page.

18. Distributed Replay Controller

Use the Distributed Replay Controller page to specify the users you want to grant administrative permissions to for the Distributed Replay controller service. Users that have administrative permissions have unlimited access to the Distributed Replay controller service.

  • To grant access permissions for the Distributed Replay controller service to the user who's running SQL Server Setup, select the Add Current User button.

  • To grant access permissions for the Distributed Replay controller service to other users, select the Add button.

  • To remove access permissions from the Distributed Replay controller service, select the Remove button.

  • To continue, select Next.

19. Distributed Replay Client

Use the Distributed Replay Client page to specify the users you want to grant administrative permissions to for the Distributed Replay client service. Users that have administrative permissions have unlimited access to the Distributed Replay client service.

  • Controller Name is optional. The default value is <blank>. Enter the name of the controller that the client computer will communicate with for the Distributed Replay client service:

    • If you already set up a controller, enter the name of the controller while configuring each client.

    • If you haven't set up a controller, you can leave the controller name blank. However, you must manually enter the controller name in the client configuration file.

  • Specify the Working Directory for the Distributed Replay client service. The default working directory is <drive letter>:\Program Files\Microsoft SQL Server\DReplayClient\WorkingDir\.

  • Specify the Result Directory for the Distributed Replay client service. The default result directory is <drive letter>:\Program Files\Microsoft SQL Server\DReplayClient\ResultDir\.

  • To continue, select Next.

20. Ready to Install

The Ready to Install page shows a tree view of the installation options that you specified during Setup. On this page, Setup indicates whether the Product Update feature is enabled or disabled and the final update version.

To continue, select Install. SQL Server Setup first installs the required prerequisites for the selected features, then it installs the selected features.

21. Installation Progress

During installation, the Installation Progress page provides status updates so that you can monitor the installation progress as Setup continues.

22. Complete

After installation, the Complete page provides a link to the summary log file for the installation and other important notes.

Important

Make sure you read the message from the Installation Wizard when you finish with Setup. For more information, see View and read SQL Server Setup log files.

To complete the SQL Server installation process, select Close.

23. Restart

If you're instructed to restart the computer, do so now.

Install SQL Server 2019

1. Installation media

Insert the SQL Server installation media. From the root folder, double-click setup.exe. To install from a network share, locate the root folder on the share, and then double-click setup.exe.

2. SQL Server Installation Center

The Installation Wizard runs the SQL Server Installation Center. To create a new installation of SQL Server, select Installation in the left navigation area, and then select New SQL Server standalone installation or add features to an existing installation.

3. Product Key

On the Product Key page, select an option to indicate whether you're installing a free edition of SQL Server or a production version that has a PID key. For more information, see Editions and supported features of SQL Server 2022.

To continue, select Next.

4. License Terms

On the License Terms page, review the license agreement. If you agree, select the I accept the license terms and privacy statement check box, and then select Next.

Note

If an Enterprise Server/CAL license product key is entered, and the machine has more than 20 physical cores, or 40 logical cores when simultaneous multithreading (SMT) is enabled, a warning is shown during setup. You can still continue setup by selecting the Check this box to acknowledge this limitation or select Back/Cancel to enter an Enterprise Core product license that supports the operating system maximum check box, or select Back and enter a License Key that supports the operating system maximum number of processors.

SQL Server transmits information about your installation experience, as well as other usage and performance data to help Microsoft improve the product. To learn more about SQL Server data processing and privacy controls, see the privacy statement and Configure usage and diagnostic data collection for SQL Server (CEIP).

5. Global Rules

In the Global Rules page, Setup automatically advances to the Product Updates page if there are no rule errors.

6. Microsoft Update

The Microsoft Update page appears next if the Microsoft Update check box in Control Panel > All Control Panel Items > Windows Update > Change settings isn't selected. Selecting the Microsoft Update check box changes the computer settings to include the latest updates for all Microsoft products when you scan for Windows updates.

7. Product Updates

On the Product Updates page, the latest available SQL Server product updates are displayed. If no product updates are discovered, Setup doesn't display this page and automatically advances to the Install Setup Files page.

8. Install Setup Files

On the Install Setup Files page, Setup provides the progress of downloading, extracting, and installing the Setup files. If an update for Setup is found and you specify to include it, that update is also installed. If no update is found, Setup automatically advances to the next section.

9. Install Rules

On the Install Rules page, Setup checks for potential problems that might occur while running Setup. If failures occur, select an item in the Status column for more information. Otherwise, select Next.

10. Installation Type

If this is the first installation of SQL Server on the machine, Setup skips the Installation Type page and goes directly to the Feature Selection page. If SQL Server is already installed on the system, you can use the Installation Type page to select either to perform a new installation, or to add features to an existing installation. To continue, select Next.

11. Feature Selection

On the Feature Selection page, select the components for your installation. For example, to install a new instance of SQL Server Database Engine, select Database Engine Services.

A description for each component group appears in the Feature description pane after you select the feature name. You can select any combination of check boxes. For more information, see Editions and supported features of SQL Server 2022.

The prerequisites for the selected features are displayed in the Prerequisites for selected features pane. Setup installs the prerequisites that aren't already installed during the installation step described later in this procedure.

You can also specify a custom directory for shared components by using the field at the bottom of the Feature Selection page. To change the installation path for shared components, either update the path in the field at the bottom of the dialog box or select Browse to go to an installation directory. The default installation path is C:\Program Files\Microsoft SQL Server\nnn\.

Note

The path specified for the shared components must be an absolute path. The folder must not be compressed or encrypted. Mapped drives aren't supported.

SQL Server uses two directories for shared features:

  • Shared feature directory
  • Shared feature directory (x86)

Note

The path specified for each of the above options must be different.

12. Feature Rules

The Feature Rules page automatically advances if all rules pass.

13. Instance Configuration

On the Instance Configuration page, specify whether to install a default instance or a named instance. For more information, see Instance configuration.

  • Instance ID: By default, the instance name is used as the instance ID. This ID is used to identify the installation directories and registry keys for your instance of SQL Server. The same behavior occurs for default instances and named instances. For a default instance, the instance name and instance ID are MSSQLSERVER. To use a nondefault instance ID, specify a different value in the Instance ID text box.

    Note

    Typical standalone instances of SQL Server, whether default or named instances, don't use a nondefault value for the instance ID.

    All SQL Server service packs and upgrades apply to every component of an instance of SQL Server.

  • Installed instances: The grid shows the instances of SQL Server that are on the computer where Setup is running. If a default instance is already installed on the computer, you must install a named instance of SQL Server.

The workflow for the rest of the installation depends on the features that you specified for your installation. Depending on your selections, you might not see all the pages.

14. Java Install Location

In SQL Server 2019 (15.x) and later versions, PolyBase no longer requires that Oracle JRE 7 Update 51 (at least) is preinstalled on the computer before installing the feature. Selecting to install the PolyBase feature will add the Java Install Location page to the SQL Server setup displayed after the Instance Configuration page. On the Java Install Location page, you can choose to install the Azul Zulu Open JRE included with the SQL Server 2019 (15.x) installation, or provide a location of a different JRE or JDK that has already been installed on the computer.

In SQL Server 2019 (15.x) and later versions, Java has been added with Language Extensions. Selecting to install the Java feature will add the Java Install Location page to the SQL Server setup dialog window, displayed after the Instance Configuration page. On the Java Install Location page, you can choose to install the Zulu Open JRE included with the SQL Server 2019 (15.x) installation, or provide a location of a different JRE or JDK that has already been installed on the computer.

15. Server Configuration

Use the Service Accounts tab under the Server Configuration page to specify the accounts for SQL Server services. The actual services that you configure on this page depend on the features that you selected to install. For more information about configuration settings, see Installation Wizard help.

You can assign the same account to all SQL Server services, or you can configure each service account individually. You can also specify whether services start automatically, start manually, or are disabled. We recommend you configure service accounts individually to provide the least privileges for each service. Make sure SQL Server services are granted the minimum permissions they must have to complete their tasks. For more information, see Configure Windows service accounts and permissions.

To specify the same account for all service accounts in this instance of SQL Server, provide the credentials in the fields at the bottom of the page.

Important

Do not use a blank password. Use a strong password.

In SQL Server 2016 (13.x) and later versions, select the Grant Perform Volume Maintenance Task privilege to SQL Server Database Engine Service check box to allow the SQL Server Database Engine service account to use database instant file initialization.

Use the Collation tab under the Server Configuration page to specify nondefault collations for the Database Engine and Analysis Services. For more information, see Collation and Unicode support.

16. Database Engine Configuration

  • Use the Server Configuration tab under the Database Engine Configuration page to specify the following options:

    • Security Mode: Select Windows Authentication or Mixed Mode Authentication for your instance of SQL Server. If you select Mixed Mode Authentication, you must provide a strong password for the built-in SQL Server system administrator account (sa).

      After a device establishes a successful connection to SQL Server, the security mechanism is the same for both Windows authentication and mixed mode authentication. For more information, see Database Engine Configuration - Server Configuration page.

    • SQL Server Administrators: You must specify at least one system administrator for the instance of SQL Server. To add the account under which SQL Server Setup is running, select Add Current User. To add or remove accounts from the list of system administrators, select Add or Remove, and then edit the list of users, groups, or computers that have administrator privileges for the instance of SQL Server. You can also add a Windows Domain Group, to establish a shared SQL Administrator Group in Active Directory with sysadmin Access to SQL Server.

  • Use the Data Directories tab under the Database Engine Configuration page to specify nondefault installation directories. To install to the default directories, select Next.

    Important

    If you specify nondefault installation directories, ensure that the installation folders are unique to this instance of SQL Server. None of the directories in this dialog box should be shared with directories from other instances of SQL Server.

    For more information, see Database Engine Configuration - Data Directories page.

  • Use the TempDB tab under the Database Engine Configuration page to configure the file size, number of files, nondefault installation directories, and file-growth settings for tempdb. For more information, see Database Engine Configuration - TempDB page.

  • Use the MaxDOP tab under the Database Engine Configuration page to specify your max degree of parallelism. This setting determines how many processors a single statement can use during execution. The recommended value is automatically calculated during installation.

    Note

    This page is only available in Setup starting with SQL Server 2019 (15.x).

    For more information, see the Database Engine Configuration - MaxDOP page.

  • Use the Memory tab under the Database Engine Configuration page to specify the min server memory and max server memory values that this instance of SQL Server will use after startup. You can use the default values, use the calculated recommended values, or manually specify your own values after you choose the Recommended option.

    Note

    This page is only available in Setup starting with SQL Server 2019 (15.x).

    For more information, see the Database Engine Configuration - Memory page.

  • Use FILESTREAM tab under the Database Engine Configuration page to enable FILESTREAM for your instance of SQL Server. For more information, see Database Engine Configuration - FILESTREAM page.

17. Analysis Services Configuration

Use the Analysis Services Configuration - Account Provisioning page to specify the server mode and the users or accounts that have administrator permissions for Analysis Services. The server mode determines which memory and storage subsystems are used on the server. Different solution types run in different server modes. If you plan to run multidimensional cube databases on the server, select the default server mode option, Multidimensional and Data Mining.

You must specify at least one system administrator for Analysis Services:

  • To add the account under which SQL Server Setup is running, select Add Current User.

  • To add or remove accounts from the list of system administrators, select Add or Remove, and then edit the list of users, groups, or computers that have administrator privileges for Analysis Services.

For more information about server mode and administrator permissions, see Analysis Services Configuration - Account Provisioning page.

When you're finished editing the list, select OK. Verify the list of administrators in the configuration dialog box. After the list is complete, select Next.

Use the Data Directories tab under the Analysis Services Configuration page to specify nondefault installation directories. To install to the default directories, select Next.

Important

When installing SQL Server, if you specify the same directory path for INSTANCEDIR and SQLUSERDBDIR, SQL Server Agent and Full Text Search won't start due to missing permissions.

If you specify nondefault installation directories, ensure that the installation folders are unique to this instance of SQL Server. None of the directories in this dialog box should be shared with directories from other instances of SQL Server.

For more information, see Analysis Services Configuration - Data Directories page.

18. Distributed Replay Controller

Use the Distributed Replay Controller page to specify the users you want to grant administrative permissions to for the Distributed Replay controller service. Users that have administrative permissions have unlimited access to the Distributed Replay controller service.

  • To grant access permissions for the Distributed Replay controller service to the user who's running SQL Server Setup, select the Add Current User button.

  • To grant access permissions for the Distributed Replay controller service to other users, select the Add button.

  • To remove access permissions from the Distributed Replay controller service, select the Remove button.

  • To continue, select Next.

19. Distributed Replay Client

Use the Distributed Replay Client page to specify the users you want to grant administrative permissions to for the Distributed Replay client service. Users that have administrative permissions have unlimited access to the Distributed Replay client service.

  • Controller Name is optional. The default value is <blank>. Enter the name of the controller that the client computer will communicate with for the Distributed Replay client service:

    • If you already set up a controller, enter the name of the controller while configuring each client.

    • If you haven't set up a controller, you can leave the controller name blank. However, you must manually enter the controller name in the client configuration file.

  • Specify the Working Directory for the Distributed Replay client service. The default working directory is <drive letter>:\Program Files\Microsoft SQL Server\DReplayClient\WorkingDir\.

  • Specify the Result Directory for the Distributed Replay client service. The default result directory is <drive letter>:\Program Files\Microsoft SQL Server\DReplayClient\ResultDir\.

  • To continue, select Next.

20. Ready to Install

The Ready to Install page shows a tree view of the installation options that you specified during Setup. On this page, Setup indicates whether the Product Update feature is enabled or disabled and the final update version.

To continue, select Install. SQL Server Setup first installs the required prerequisites for the selected features, then it installs the selected features.

21. Installation Progress

During installation, the Installation Progress page provides status updates so that you can monitor the installation progress as Setup continues.

22. Complete

After installation, the Complete page provides a link to the summary log file for the installation and other important notes.

Important

Make sure you read the message from the Installation Wizard when you finish with Setup. For more information, see View and read SQL Server Setup log files.

To complete the SQL Server installation process, select Close.

23. Restart

If you're instructed to restart the computer, do so now.

Install SQL Server 2022

1. Installation media

Insert the SQL Server installation media. From the root folder, double-click setup.exe. To install from a network share, locate the root folder on the share, and then double-click setup.exe.

2. SQL Server Installation Center

The Installation Wizard runs the SQL Server Installation Center. To create a new installation of SQL Server, select Installation in the left navigation area, and then select New SQL Server standalone installation or add features to an existing installation.

3. Edition

On the Edition page, select the edition you want to install.

  • Specify a free edition allows you to select Evaluation, Developer, or Web edition.

  • Use pay-as-you-go billing through Microsoft Azure is an alternative to using the traditional license agreement. SQL Server 2022 (16.x) introduces this option in setup and allows you to activate your instance for use in production without supplying a product key. This option requires an active Azure subscription. For more information, see Configure SQL Server enabled by Azure Arc. With this option, you can specify Standard or Enterprise edition.

  • Enter the product key allows you to provide a product key for a specific edition of SQL Server. You can also specify if you have a license with Software Assurance or SQL Software Subscription, and if you have a SQL Server license only.

To continue, select Next.

4. License Terms

On the License Terms page, review the license agreement. If you agree, select the I accept the license terms and Privacy Statement check box, and then select Next.

Note

If an Enterprise Server/CAL license product key is entered, and the machine has more than 20 physical cores, or 40 logical cores when simultaneous multithreading (SMT) is enabled, a warning is shown during setup. You can still continue setup by selecting the Check this box to acknowledge this limitation or select Back/Cancel to enter an Enterprise Core product license that supports the operating system maximum check box, or select Back and enter a product key that supports the operating system maximum number of processors.

SQL Server transmits information about your installation experience, as well as other usage and performance data to help Microsoft improve the product. To learn more about SQL Server data processing and privacy controls, see the privacy statement and Configure usage and diagnostic data collection for SQL Server (CEIP).

5. Global Rules

In the Global Rules page, Setup automatically advances to the Microsoft Update page if there are no rule errors.

6. Microsoft Update

The Microsoft Update page appears next if the Microsoft Update check box in Control Panel > All Control Panel Items > Windows Update > Change settings isn't selected. Selecting the Microsoft Update check box changes the computer settings to include the latest updates for all Microsoft products when you scan for Windows updates.

7. Product Updates

On the Product Updates page, the latest available SQL Server critical product updates are displayed. If no product updates are discovered, Setup doesn't display this page and automatically advances to the Install Setup Files page.

8. Install Setup Files

On the Install Setup Files page, Setup provides the progress of downloading, extracting, and installing the Setup files. If an update for Setup is found and you specify to include it, that update is also installed. If no update is found, Setup automatically advances to the next section.

9. Install Rules

On the Install Rules page, Setup checks for potential problems that might occur while running Setup. If failures occur, select an item in the Status column for more information. Otherwise, select Next.

10. Azure Extension for SQL Server

On the Azure Extension for SQL Server page, you can configure SQL Server to connect to Azure. SQL Server 2022 (16.x) introduces this extension to enable using Azure services such as Microsoft Defender for Cloud, Microsoft Purview, Microsoft Entra ID, and others. This feature is selected by default. If you wish to proceed without connecting to Azure, you can unselect Azure Extension for SQL Server.

  • If you're installing SQL Server 2022 (16.x) on a VMware ESX host or an Azure VMware Solution (AVS) host, you don't see the Azure Extension for SQL Server page during installation. You can install the extension during setup using the command line parameters or you can install SQL Server 2022 (16.x) without the Azure Extension for SQL Server first and then later install the Connect your SQL Server to Azure Arc.

  • If you're installing SQL Server 2022 (16.x) on an Azure VM, you don't see the Azure Extension for SQL Server page during installation. Connectivity to Azure Services for SQL Server on Azure VMs is handled through the SQL IaaS Agent extension, which is automatically pushed to your Azure VM shortly after SQL Server installation. You can register your VM with the extension manually if you don't want to wait for automatic registration. For more information on supported configurations, see Supported SQL Server versions and environments.

To use the Azure extension for SQL Server, you must have an active Azure subscription and provide a set of additional Azure-related parameters. You also need to make sure the following Azure resource providers are registered in your subscription:

  • Microsoft.AzureArcData
  • Microsoft.HybridCompute

To authenticate the SQL Server instance with Azure, you can sign in using an Azure account, or you can use an Azure service principal. For specific security requirements to install the extension, see Prerequisites - SQL Server enabled by Azure Arc.

To sign in with your Azure account, select Use Azure Login. Windows might prompt you to add one or more sites to the Trusted sites zone. Follow your organization's security requirements. After you sign in to Azure, proceed to provide the additional registration information.

Alternatively, you can use a service principal:

  • Azure service principal: If you provide the service principal, provide the service principal secret. This is used to authenticate the SQL Server instance to Azure.
  • Azure subscription ID: Azure subscription where the SQL Server instance resource is created.

Provide the following information:

  • Azure resource group: Azure resource group where the SQL Server instance resource is created.
  • Azure region: Azure region where the SQL Server instance resource is created.
  • Azure tenant ID: Azure tenant ID in which the service principal exists.
  • Proxy server URL: (Optional) - Name of the HTTP proxy server used to connect to Azure Arc.

Note

To create a service principal, retrieve its password and Tenant ID, see Connect multiple SQL Server instances to Azure Arc. If the server is already connected to Azure via Azure Arc, the subscription ID, resource group, and region will be populated and you won't be able to change them.

Select Next to proceed.

11. Feature Selection

On the Feature Selection page, select the components for your installation. For example, to install a new instance of SQL Server Database Engine, select Database Engine Services.

A description for each component group appears in the Feature description pane after you select the feature name. You can select any combination of check boxes.

The prerequisites for the selected features are displayed in the Prerequisites for selected features pane. Setup installs the prerequisites that aren't already installed during the installation step described later in this procedure.

You can also specify a custom directory for shared components by using the field at the bottom of the Feature Selection page. To change the installation path for shared components, either update the path in the field at the bottom of the dialog box or select Browse to go to an installation directory. The default installation path is C:\Program Files\Microsoft SQL Server\nnn\.

Note

The path specified for the shared components must be an absolute path. The folder must not be compressed or encrypted. Mapped drives aren't supported.

SQL Server uses two directories for shared features:

  • Shared feature directory
  • Shared feature directory (x86)

Note

The path specified for each of the above options must be different.

12. Feature Rules

The Feature Rules page automatically advances if all rules pass.

13. Instance Configuration

On the Instance Configuration page, specify whether to install a default instance or a named instance. For more information, see Instance configuration.

  • Instance ID: By default, the instance name is used as the instance ID. This ID is used to identify the installation directories and registry keys for your instance of SQL Server. The same behavior occurs for default instances and named instances. For a default instance, the instance name and instance ID are MSSQLSERVER. To use a nondefault instance ID, specify a different value in the Instance ID text box.

    Note

    Typical standalone instances of SQL Server, whether default or named instances, don't use a nondefault value for the instance ID.

    All SQL Server service packs and upgrades apply to every component of an instance of SQL Server.

  • Installed instances: The grid shows the instances of SQL Server that are on the computer where Setup is running. If a default instance is already installed on the computer, you must install a named instance of SQL Server.

The workflow for the rest of the installation depends on the features that you specified for your installation. Depending on your selections, you might not see all the pages.

14. Java Install Location

In SQL Server 2019 (15.x) and later versions, PolyBase no longer requires that Oracle JRE 7 Update 51 (at least) is preinstalled on the computer before installing the feature. Selecting to install the PolyBase feature will add the Java Install Location page to the SQL Server setup displayed after the Instance Configuration page. On the Java Install Location page, you can choose to install the Azul Zulu Open JRE included with the SQL Server installation, or provide a location of a different JRE or JDK that has already been installed on the computer.

In SQL Server 2019 (15.x) and later versions, Java has been added with Language Extensions. Selecting to install the Java feature will add the Java Install Location page to the SQL Server setup dialog window, displayed after the Instance Configuration page. On the Java Install Location page, you can choose to install the Zulu Open JRE included with the SQL Server installation, or provide a location of a different JRE or JDK that has already been installed on the computer.

15. Server Configuration

  • On the Server Configuration page, use the Service Accounts tab to specify the accounts for SQL Server services. The actual services that you configure on this page depend on the features that you selected to install. For more information about configuration settings, see Installation Wizard help.

    You can assign the same account to all SQL Server services, or you can configure each service account individually. You can also specify whether services start automatically, start manually, or are disabled. We recommend you configure service accounts individually to provide the least privileges for each service. Make sure SQL Server services are granted the minimum permissions they must have to complete their tasks. For more information, see Configure Windows service accounts and permissions.

    To specify the same account for all service accounts in this instance of SQL Server, provide the credentials in the fields at the bottom of the page.

    Important

    Do not use a blank password. Use a strong password.

    Select the Grant Perform Volume Maintenance Task privilege to SQL Server Database Engine Service check box to allow the SQL Server Database Engine service account to use database instant file initialization.

  • On the Server Configuration page, use the Collation tab to specify nondefault collations for the Database Engine and Analysis Services. For more information, see Collation and Unicode support.

16. Database Engine Configuration

  • Use the Server Configuration tab on the Database Engine Configuration page to specify the following options:

    • Security Mode: Select Windows Authentication or Mixed Mode Authentication for your instance of SQL Server. If you select Mixed Mode Authentication, you must provide a strong password for the built-in SQL Server system administrator account (sa).

      After a device establishes a successful connection to SQL Server, the security mechanism is the same for both Windows authentication and mixed mode authentication. For more information, see Database Engine Configuration - Server Configuration page.

    • SQL Server Administrators: You must specify at least one system administrator for the instance of SQL Server. To add the account under which SQL Server Setup is running, select Add Current User. To add or remove accounts from the list of system administrators, select Add or Remove, and then edit the list of users, groups, or computers that have administrator privileges for the instance of SQL Server. You can also add a Windows Domain Group, to establish a shared SQL Administrator Group in Active Directory with sysadmin Access to SQL Server.

  • Use the Data Directories tab to specify nondefault installation directories. To install to the default directories, select Next.

    Important

    If you specify nondefault installation directories, ensure that the installation folders are unique to this instance of SQL Server. None of the directories in this dialog box should be shared with directories from other instances of SQL Server.

    For more information, see Database Engine Configuration - Data Directories page.

  • Use the TempDB tab to configure the file size, number of files, nondefault installation directories, and file-growth settings for tempdb. For more information, see Database Engine Configuration - TempDB page.

  • Use the MaxDOP tab to specify your max degree of parallelism. This setting determines how many processors a single statement can use during execution. The recommended value is automatically calculated during installation.

    For more information, see the Database Engine Configuration - MaxDOP page.

  • Use the Memory tab to specify the min server memory and max server memory values that this instance of SQL Server will use after startup. You can use the default values, use the calculated recommended values, or manually specify your own values after you choose the Recommended option.

    For more information, see the Database Engine Configuration - Memory page.

  • Use the FILESTREAM tab to enable FILESTREAM for your instance of SQL Server. For more information, see Database Engine Configuration - FILESTREAM page.

17. Analysis Services Configuration

On the Analysis Services Configuration, use the Account Provisioning tab to specify the server mode and the users or accounts that have administrator permissions for Analysis Services. The server mode determines which memory and storage subsystems are used on the server. Different solution types run in different server modes. If you plan to run multidimensional cube databases on the server, select the default server mode option, Multidimensional and Data Mining.

You must specify at least one system administrator for Analysis Services:

  • To add the account under which SQL Server Setup is running, select Add Current User.

  • To add or remove accounts from the list of system administrators, select Add or Remove, and then edit the list of users, groups, or computers that have administrator privileges for Analysis Services.

    For more information about server mode and administrator permissions, see Analysis Services Configuration - Account Provisioning page.

    When you finish editing the list, select OK. Verify the list of administrators in the configuration dialog box. After the list is complete, select Next.

On the Analysis Services Configuration, use the Data Directories page to specify nondefault installation directories. To install to the default directories, select Next.

Important

When installing SQL Server, if you specify the same directory path for INSTANCEDIR and SQLUSERDBDIR, SQL Server Agent and Full Text Search won't start due to missing permissions.

If you specify nondefault installation directories, ensure that the installation folders are unique to this instance of SQL Server. None of the directories in this dialog box should be shared with directories from other instances of SQL Server.

For more information, see Analysis Services Configuration - Data Directories page.

18. Ready to Install

The Ready to Install page shows a tree view of the installation options that you specified during Setup. On this page, Setup indicates whether the Product Update feature is enabled or disabled and the final update version.

To continue, select Install. SQL Server Setup first installs the required prerequisites for the selected features, then it installs the selected features.

19. Installation Progress

During installation, the Installation Progress page provides status updates so that you can monitor the installation progress as Setup continues.

20. Complete

After installation, a Successful status on the Complete page indicates a successful completion. This page provides a link to the summary log file for the installation and other important notes.

Important

Make sure you read the message from the Installation Wizard when you finish with Setup. For more information, see View and read SQL Server Setup log files.

To complete the SQL Server installation process, select Close.

If you're instructed to restart the computer, do so now.

Related content