I am trying to learn about the analytics and integration modules in SQL Server at home and am disappointed to see that they are not included with the SQL Server Express edition.
I've been looking around to make sense of the various editions available, which I have found very confusing but I think the gist is that there is either an evaluation edition which expires or a developer edition. All the other version are silly money and clearly intended for businesses, is that about right? All I want to do is learn at home. I have no intention of doing anything at all commercial for the time being.
My database knowledge is limited to querying currently and I'm keen to enhance that, have been surprised to see how difficult getting a home install of SSAS/SSIS appears to be. Perhaps it's just my ignorance.
Also I would like to set up my home system to replicate my understanding of how a data server client would work. So I would like to have one VM set up as a "server" and one set up as a "client" and have the client connect to the server. Does this sound like a sensible approach?
Non-waffle summary: 1) Is Developer edition the best option for learning SSAS/SSIS at home? 2) Is having two VMs (1 server, 1 client) a sensible approach?
Sorry if this is a bit Fisher Price but I've hit my limit googling and just want some plain English advice.
Thanks for reading
Jon
1) Yes, you can pick Developer Edition up for about $60 from Amazon. It includes everything that is in Enterprise
2) Sure, open port 1433 up on your server that is running SQL Server and you'll be able to talk to it from the client. If they are on the same Active Directory domain you can use Windows Auth, otherwise ensure that you select to enable SQL Authentication when running SQL Server setup.