SQL Server Pro - May 2013

of SQL Server. To initiate the upgrade to SQL Server 2012, you can execute the Autorun program from the SQL Server 2012 installation media or you can launch the setup.exe program found in the installation media’s root directory. Both of these options will start the SQL Server Installation Center, which you can see in Figure 1.

Figure 1 Installing Upgrade Advisor from the Planning Page of the SQL Server Installation Center

Before performing the upgrade, it’s a good idea to install and run Upgrade Advisor. Selecting the Install Upgrade Advisor option from the SQL Server Installation Center’s Planning page will install Upgrade Advisor on your system. After completing the installation, you can run Upgrade Advisor, which will check your SQL Server system configuration and code. Upgrade Advisor will warn you about changes or deprecated features that might affect your system upgrade. You can optionally generate a report from Upgrade Advisor that you can use to systematically address any potential upgrade problems.