Home > Workload Solutions > SQL Server > White Papers > Microsoft SQL Server with Dell EMC and VMware Technology > High-level summary
SQL Server database environments continue to grow in both size and complexity. With SQL Server 2019, Microsoft improved SQL Server core features and added new ones such as support for Big Data workloads with Apache Spark and HDFS. Dell EMC, in partnership with Microsoft, continues to provide the essential infrastructure components—servers, storage, and networking—for your SQL Server environment.
The adoption of storage appliance technology by SQL Server DBA professionals has varied greatly across organizations. We have seen significant increases in uptime and reductions in the total cost of ownership (TCO) when storage and database professionals collaborate to design infrastructure solutions for SQL Server on shared storage platforms. The Dell EMC Unity XT All-Flash storage array is a midrange solution that is ideal for SQL Server developers and administrators who are seeking high performance and low latency. Designed for all-flash performance, the Unity XT All-Flash system supports dual-socket CPUs, dual-active controllers, and multicore optimization.
Increasingly, organizations are virtualizing their SQL Server environments at some level. Although virtualization adds another layer of design, configuration, and monitoring to the architecture stack, it provides significant benefits. In this paper, we describe some of the commonly used VMware features and benefits in SQL Server environments. We also include best-practice guidelines and links to resources for more detailed information.