You can read all of the books and blogs you like, watch videos, and see presentations.  But if you really want to learn some piece of technology, you need to play with it.  Break it, and then try and fix it.  Maybe implementing that new feature is not as straightforward as the marketing folks imply. Maybe when I install something, it breaks something else.  How do I fix this?  What can I do to avoid that in the future.

Most companies do not want you experimenting on production equipment.  For good reason.  However, when the poo hits the fan, they want you to be prepared.  So, as I start learning the new features of SQL 2012, I want to build a test lab. This is not nearly as complicated as it was in past years, with the advent of  virtualization.

To experiment with all of the features of SQL 2012, I will need several database servers, for implementing AlwaysOn features, experimenting with replication and log shipping, etc.  These servers will also need to be part of a domain.  All told, I will need at least 4 servers – a domain controller and three SQL servers.Read More »Building a Test Environment