Lab: Build a “clean install checklist” students can reuse

Section 5 — Lab: Build a “Clean Install Checklist” Students Can Reuse

Welcome to your first true “DBA-grade” deliverable. In real DBA work, the people who get hired and trusted are the ones
who can build systems repeatably, predictably, and with evidence.

This lab turns everything you’ve done in Section 5 into a reusable checklist you can follow anytime you rebuild your lab,
and a checklist you can show in interviews as proof that you understand professional installation discipline.

Lab description: You will create a clean install checklist (copy/paste ready) that covers:
virtualization choices, OS installation and hardening, SQL Server edition and feature selection,
service account decisions, SSMS/tooling installation, and file location separation.
You will also add “validation steps” (evidence queries + file checks) and a short “rollback / recovery” section.
When you finish, you will have a single document you can reuse for every future build.

Deliverable

Create this file on your VM:
C:\DBA\Docs\Clean-Install-Checklist-SQL-Server-Lab.html

Copy the checklist below into that file. Then, as you complete each step, mark it as done and attach proof outputs.

Clean Install Checklist (Reusable)

A) Build Info (Fill This Out Every Time)

Build Date: __________________
VM/Server Name: __________________ (example: SQLLAB01)
Host Machine: __________________
Hypervisor: VMware / VirtualBox / Hyper-V
OS: Windows Server ____ / Windows 11 Pro
SQL Server Version: 2019 / 2022 / other: ____
SQL Edition: Developer / Evaluation / Standard / Express
Instance Type: Default / Named (name: ____)
Authentication Mode: Windows / Mixed
Notes: __________________________________________

B) Virtualization & VM Resources (Pre-Install)

[ ] BIOS/UEFI virtualization enabled (Intel VT-x / AMD-V)
[ ] VM created with resources:
- vCPU: ____ (recommended 4)
- RAM: ____ GB (recommended 16; minimum 8)
- Disk: ____ GB (recommended 80–120)
- Disk stored on SSD (if possible): Yes / No
- Networking: NAT (recommended) / Bridged / Host-only
[ ] Windows ISO mounted and VM boots to installer

C) Install Windows + Harden Basics

[ ] Windows installed successfully
[ ] Local admin password set and stored securely
[ ] Computer renamed to: __________________
[ ] Time zone verified and correct
[ ] Windows Updates installed until fully patched (no pending updates)
[ ] Power plan set to High performance
[ ] Remote Desktop enabled (lab convenience) + firewall rule confirmed
[ ] Windows Defender enabled (keep security on in lab)
[ ] Firewall enabled
[ ] Folder structure created:
- [ ] C:\DBA\Installers\
- [ ] C:\DBA\Scripts\
- [ ] C:\DBA\Logs\
- [ ] C:\DBA\Docs\
[ ] Internet access verified inside VM

D) Service Accounts Strategy (Decision + Notes)

Lab choice: Virtual service accounts (recommended) / Local SQLSvc (optional)
[ ] Service-account approach documented (why chosen)
[ ] If Local SQLSvc used:
- [ ] Local user created: SQLSvc
- [ ] Password stored securely
- [ ] Folder permissions planned (data/log/tempdb/backup folders)
[ ] Production note recorded: when domain accounts would be required (backup shares, HA/DR, etc.)

E) Install SQL Server (Edition + Components)

[ ] SQL Server installer saved to C:\DBA\Installers\
[ ] Edition selected: __________________ (Developer recommended)
[ ] Features installed:
- [ ] Database Engine Services
- [ ] SQL Server Agent (recommended)
- [ ] Optional features (list): __________________
[ ] Instance type: Default / Named (name: ____)
[ ] Authentication mode: Windows / Mixed
[ ] If Mixed Mode: SA password set and stored securely
[ ] SQL Server administrators configured (your Windows user added)
[ ] Install completed with no errors
[ ] SQL Server service running
[ ] SQL Server Agent running (if installed)

Evidence (save output to C:\DBA\Logs\sql-install-proof.txt):

SELECT
  @@SERVERNAME AS ServerName,
  @@VERSION AS VersionInfo,
  SERVERPROPERTY('Edition') AS Edition,
  SERVERPROPERTY('ProductVersion') AS ProductVersion,
  SERVERPROPERTY('ProductLevel') AS ProductLevel;

F) Install SSMS + Essential Tooling

[ ] SSMS installed successfully
[ ] Connected to SQL Server instance (Windows Auth tested)
[ ] SSMS line numbers enabled
[ ] Azure Data Studio installed (optional) Yes / No
[ ] PowerShell launches and version verified
[ ] Scripts folder ready (Git optional)

Evidence (save output to C:\DBA\Logs\first-connection.txt):

SELECT
  @@SERVERNAME AS ServerName,
  @@VERSION AS VersionInfo,
  SUSER_SNAME() AS ConnectedAs,
  DB_NAME() AS CurrentDatabase;

G) Configure File Locations (Data / Log / tempdb / Backups)

[ ] Folders created:
- [ ] C:\SQLData\
- [ ] C:\SQLLog\
- [ ] C:\SQLTempDB\
- [ ] C:\SQLBackups\
[ ] Default Data path configured
[ ] Default Log path configured
[ ] Default Backup path configured (and validated by test backup)
[ ] tempdb moved to C:\SQLTempDB\ and service restarted successfully
[ ] New DB created without paths lands in correct folders
[ ] Test backup created in correct folder

Evidence (save output to C:\DBA\Logs\file-path-validation.txt):

SELECT
  SERVERPROPERTY('InstanceDefaultDataPath') AS InstanceDefaultDataPath,
  SERVERPROPERTY('InstanceDefaultLogPath')  AS InstanceDefaultLogPath;

H) Recovery / Rollback Plan (Lab-Safe)

[ ] Baseline snapshot/checkpoint created (VM feature) OR rebuild notes updated
[ ] If SQL Server fails to start, check:
- SQL Server Error Log
- Windows Event Viewer
- Folder existence and permissions (especially tempdb path)
[ ] Rebuild time estimate recorded (how long it takes you to rebuild cleanly)

I) Final Sign-Off

[ ] I can connect with SSMS and run queries
[ ] SQL Agent is available and running (if installed)
[ ] Default paths are correct (data/log) and tempdb is in correct location
[ ] I created and validated a test backup file
[ ] Evidence files saved in C:\DBA\Logs\
Build completed by: __________________

Practice: What To Submit (Even If You’re Studying Alone)

To complete this lab professionally, do the following:

Create the checklist file at: C:\DBA\Docs\Clean-Install-Checklist-SQL-Server-Lab.html
Fill out the Build Info section with your lab details.
Save evidence outputs to:
- C:\DBA\Logs\sql-install-proof.txt
- C:\DBA\Logs\first-connection.txt
- C:\DBA\Logs\file-path-validation.txt
Create a baseline VM snapshot/checkpoint (or write rebuild notes if you cannot snapshot).
Write a short reflection in your notebook:
- What went smoothly?
- What issue did you hit (if any) and how did you fix it?
- How long did your clean build take end-to-end?

Lab Summary (Why This Matters for Jobs)

This checklist proves you can build a SQL Server environment repeatably, not randomly.
It trains you to validate with evidence (queries + file checks), which is exactly how DBAs operate.
It becomes a portfolio artifact you can talk through in interviews as a real operational process.

Next Section Preview

Next, you will move beyond installation into how SQL Server works internally and how DBAs configure it to prevent outages.
Your lab environment is now “DBA-grade” and ready for real administration, troubleshooting, and tuning work.