SQL Server 2008 R2 Best Practices Analyzer (BPA) is available for downloading

If you have used SQL Server 2005 BPA, you know how useful it is. If I am not mistaken, there was no BPA available specifically for SQL Server 2008. Now SQL Server 2008 R2 BPA is available and it can be used for both 2008 and 2008 R2. If you have not used it before, here is the overview of the tool (quoted from the site) ;

Overview
The Microsoft SQL Server 2008 R2 BPA is a diagnostic tool that performs the following functions:

• Gathers information about a Server and a Microsoft SQL Server 2008 or 2008 R2 instance installed on that Server
• Determines if the configurations are set according to the recommended best practices
• Reports on all configurations, indicating settings that differ from recommendations
• Indicates potential problems in the installed instance of SQL Server
• Recommends solutions to potential problems

You can download and see more info here: http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?displaylang=en&FamilyID=0fd439d7-4bff-4df7-a52f-9a1be8725591

Note that you need to have Microsoft Baseline Configuration Analyzer 2.0 for using this. It can be downloaded from here: http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=1b6e9026-f505-403e-84c3-a5dea704ec67&displaylang=en

If you get following error when installing;

“There is a problem with this Windows Installer package. A program run as part of the setup did not finish as expected. Contact your support personnel or package vendor.”

Get the solution from here: http://sqlblog.com/blogs/davide_mauri/archive/2010/06/21/installing-sql-server-2008-r2-best-practices-analyzer-on-a-stand-alone-machine.aspx

Once everything is set up, you can start it with  Microsoft Baseline Configuration Analyzer 2.0 and select SQL Server 2008 R2 BPA as the product. Unfortunately I could not get it run as I want because it ends up with following results.

This is coming from a server which is Windows 2008 R2 (64-bit) that has SQL Server 2008 Developer Edition. Server name has been set as DINESH-PC. 

The error is;

“Analysis cannot be performed.
Issue: Invalid Instance – Instance name cannot contain spaces or special character”

My machine is name is DINESH-PC which contains “-“. Then I tried with localhost, but ended up with the error mentioned with next two screens. 

This is coming from another server I had setup which is Windows 2008 R2 (64-bit) that has SQL Server 2008 R2. It is a HyperV machine named as DP01.

The error is;

“Analysis cannot be performed.
Issue: User is not a member of Administrators group on remote machine OR Powershell Remoting is not Enabled on Remote server.”

Then I ran the scripts given with the resolution. Note that the character which is used to enclose @ is not a Apostrophe, it is Grave accent character which is aligned with Tilde. Make sure that you use it instead of apostrophe.

Anyway now both machine used for testing are ended up following error.

“Analysis cannot be performed.
Issue: SQL Server Instance Not Exist.”

I am still looking for a solution, seems this is related to remoting and some PowerShell scripts. My knowledge on it is poor, seeking a help.