1. SQL Server on Amazon Web Services
Elastic Compute Cloud vs Relational Database Service
SQL Server on Amazon Web Services

2. Rick Lowe rick@data-flowe.com DataFLowe

3. What’s Not Covered Virtual Private Cloud – routing, VPN, gateways etc
Glacier Storage Details – for stuff you probably don’t need
Identity and Access Management – Permissions for ops
Active Directory on AWS – For using Windows auth
Instance Roles – Grant permissions to servers

4. Background Information

5. Background – Elastic Block Storage
Mounted like a hard drive
Random access
Defaults to SSD, options for magnetic
Provisioned IOPs (pay for performance)

6. Background – Simple Storage Service
Sequential access
Access with CLI or PowerShell
Analogous to tape
Glacier option for long term storage

7. Background – Security Groups
Simple firewall
Control traffic by port and/or IP
Almost no support for DNS-based rules
Routing configured separately

8. Background - Cost Runtime costs accrue when running
Runtime cost may include MSSQL
Storage costs accrue whether running or not
Data transfer out of AWS, or between regions
Many many other costs possible

9. EC2 – Elastic Compute Cloud

10. EC2 Overview Infrastructure as a Service
Interact with by Remote Desktop
Virtual server on shared hardware
Full OS control (and responsibility)
Full instance control (and responsibility)

11. EC2 Advantages Multiple drives More configuration options
All SQL Server features (SSIS, SSRS, MDS, etc.)

12. What We Saw In Demo Spin up instance
Select correct region
Select image, instance type, VPC etc etc
Configure storage, security group, network, etc
… Plus all OS and MSSQL config
If a disk is missing, bring online in Computer Management
Pro tip – Consider assigning an instance role

13. RDS – Relational Database Service

14. RDS Overview Platform as a Service Interact with by SSMS
No access to OS
Can adjust many instance settings

15. RDS Advantages Automated backups of instance
Built in redundancy / disaster recovery
Automated OS patching
Simplified MSSQL patching

16. RDS Demo – What We Saw Options and parameter sets help configure
… Especially S3 bucket for native backups
RDS instance backups are easy
Native backups can be challenging
Not all native backups can be restored

17. RDS and EC2 Considerations
Some features (SSIS, SSRS, etc) currently require EC2
Workloads sensitive to settings (or tuning) may require EC2
Less to worry about in RDS
Common interface across engines in RDS
For many workloads, matter of preference
RDS only supports 1 disk

18. Thank You