Create an ApsaraDB RDS for SQL Server instance - ApsaraDB RDS

You can create an ApsaraDB RDS for SQL Server instance in the ApsaraDB RDS console or by calling an operation. This topic describes how to create an RDS instance in the ApsaraDB RDS console.

Prerequisites

The AliyunRDSFullAccess and AliyunBSSOrderAccess policies are attached to the RAM user that you use to create an RDS instance. For more information, see Use RAM for resource authorization.

Procedure

Step 1: Configure basic settings

Go to the ApsaraDB RDS buy page.

Configure the Billing Method parameter.

Billing method	Description	Benefit
Subscription	A subscription RDS instance is an instance for which you pay an upfront fee. If you want to use an RDS instance for a long period of time, we recommend that you select the Subscription billing method. If you select the subscription billing method, configure the Duration parameter in the lower-left corner of the page.	In most cases, the subscription billing method is more cost-effective than the pay-as-you-go billing method for long-term usage. Alibaba Cloud provides lower prices for longer subscription durations.
Pay-As-You-Go	You are charged on an hourly basis for a pay-as-you-go RDS instance based on your actual resource usage. If you want to use an RDS instance for a short period of time, we recommend that you select the Pay-As-You-Go billing method. You can create a Pay-As-You-Go RDS instance. After you confirm that the created RDS instance meets your business requirements, you can change the billing method of the RDS instance to subscription.	You can release a pay-as-you-go RDS instance based on your business requirements. The billing cycle of a pay-as-you-go RDS instance immediately stops after you release the RDS instance.
Serverless	If you want to run scheduled tasks, your workloads frequently change, or the workloads are fully managed or do not require O&M, we recommend that you select Serverless. For more information, see Overview of serverless ApsaraDB RDS for SQL Server instances and Create a serverless ApsaraDB RDS for SQL Server instance.	You are charged based on your consumption of resources for workloads. This can help reduce costs.

Note

You can view the price in the lower-right corner of the page. The price is displayed only after you configure all required parameters.

Configure the Region parameter.
Select the region in which you want to create the RDS instance. We recommend that you select the region of the Elastic Compute Service (ECS) instance on which your application is deployed. If the RDS instance and the ECS instance reside in different regions, they cannot use an internal network to communicate with each other. This affects the performance of your application.
Note
- After an RDS instance is created, you cannot change the region of the RDS instance. If an ECS instance connects to an RDS instance over an internal network, make sure that the RDS instance and the ECS instance reside in the same region.
- If your application is deployed on an on-premises server or computer, we recommend that you select a region that is in close proximity to the on-premises server or computer. This way, you can use the public endpoint of the RDS instance to connect to the RDS instance from your application.

Configure the Database Engine, Product Type, and Storage Type parameters.

Configure the Database Engine parameter.
Select Microsoft SQL Server. SQL Server 2008 R2, SQL Server 2012, SQL Server 2016, SQL Server 2017, SQL Server 2019, and SQL Server 2022 are supported.
Note
- The available database engines and versions vary based on the region that you select.
- RDS instances that run SQL Server Basic and SQL Server Web can reside in the classic network and virtual private clouds (VPCs). RDS instances that run other SQL Server editions can reside only in VPCs, and you must configure the VPC and VSwitch of Primary Node parameters.

Configure the Edition parameter.

Edition	Description	Benefit
RDS Basic Edition	The database system consists of only a primary RDS instance. Computing is separated from storage. Read-only RDS instances are not supported.	RDS Basic Edition is cost-effective and is suitable for learning and testing. Note RDS instances that run RDS Basic Edition require a long period of time to restart or recover from faults.
RDS High-availability Edition	The database system consists of a primary RDS instance and a secondary RDS instance. These instances work in HA mode and support automatic failover. The secondary RDS instance cannot be directly accessed. Read-only RDS instances are not supported.	We recommend that you use the RDS edition. RDS High-availability Edition is suitable for production environments and is suitable for more than 80% of business scenarios.
RDS Cluster Edition	The database system consists of a primary RDS instance and multiple secondary RDS instance. These instances work in HA mode and support automatic failover. The secondary RDS instances can be accessed. This increases the read capability of your database system. You can create multiple secondary RDS instances to increase the read capability of your database system. For more information, see Create a read-only ApsaraDB RDS for SQL Server instance.	You can create read-only RDS instances to improve the read performance in a linear manner. You can manage costs in a flexible manner. Secondary RDS instances are readable.

Note

The available RDS editions vary based on the region and database engine that you select.
Serverless RDS instances run only RDS High-availability Edition.
For more information, see Overview.

Configure the Storage Type parameter.

Item	ESSD
Scalability	You can increase the storage capacity up to 32 TB. No transient connections occur during storage capacity expansion. You can upgrade, downgrade, create, or release an RDS instance within minutes. Automatic storage expansion is supported.
Performance	PL1<PL2<PL3 A performance level 2 (PL2) enhanced SSD (ESSD) delivers twice the IOPS and throughput of a PL1 ESSD. A PL3 ESSD delivers IOPS that is up to 20 times the IOPS delivered by a PL1 ESSD. A PL3 ESSD also delivers throughput that is up to 11 times the throughput delivered by a PL1 ESSD.
Backup	A backup can be completed within minutes or seconds. The highest backup frequency is once every 15 minutes.

Note

If you select the ESSD storage type, you can select Disk Encryption to enhance the security of your data. For more information, see Configure the cloud disk encryption feature for an ApsaraDB RDS for SQL Server instance.
For more information about storage types, see Storage types.

Select a zone for the RDS instance. Then, configure the Deployment Method parameter.
- Select a zone.
  - No significant differences exist between the zones in the same region.
  - If the RDS instance resides in the same zone as the ECS instance on which your application is deployed, these instances can deliver optimal performance. If the RDS instance and the ECS instance reside in different zones in the same region, the performance of the RDS instance and the ECS instance is slightly lower than the performance of the RDS instance and the ECS instance that reside in the same zone.
- Select a deployment method.
  - Multi-zone Deployment: We recommend that you use the deployment method. The primary RDS instance and the secondary RDS instance reside in different zones of a region to provide cross-zone disaster recovery.
    If you set the Deployment Method parameter to Multi-zone Deployment, you must configure the Zone of Primary Node and Zone of Secondary Node parameters.
  - Single-zone Deployment: The primary RDS instance and the secondary RDS instance reside in the same zone.
    If you select RDS Basic Edition, you can select only the Single-zone Deployment method.
  Note
  If your database system consists of primary and secondary RDS instances, we recommend that you select Multi-zone Deployment to implement cross-zone disaster recovery.
  If Sold Out appears in the upper-right corner of a zone name, this zone does not have sufficient resources. In this case, you must switch to another zone.

Configure the Instance Type parameter.

Configure the Category parameter. Valid values: General-purpose, Dedicated, and Shared Instance. The available instance types vary based on the RDS edition and database engine. Refer to the available instance types in the ApsaraDB RDS console.

Instance type	Description	Benefit
General-purpose	A general-purpose RDS instance exclusively occupies the allocated memory and I/O resources. A general-purpose RDS instance shares CPU and storage resources with other general-purpose RDS instances that are deployed on the same host.	General-purpose RDS instances are cost-effective.
Dedicated	A dedicated RDS instance exclusively occupies the allocated CPU, memory, storage, and I/O resources. Note The dedicated host instance family is the highest configuration of the dedicated instance family. A dedicated host RDS instance occupies all CPU, memory, storage, and I/O resources of the host on which the RDS instance is deployed.	A dedicated RDS instance can deliver higher performance and higher stability. Note An RDS instance that runs RDS Basic Edition does not support the dedicated instance family.
Shared	A shared RDS instance exclusively occupies the allocated memory and storage resources. A shared RDS instance shares CPU resources with other RDS instances that are deployed on the same host.	A shared RDS instance is cost-effective but delivers moderate stability.

Specify the CPU cores, memory capacity, and maximum number of connections.
Note
For more information, see Primary ApsaraDB RDS for SQL Server instance types.

Configure the Capacity parameter.
The storage capacity is used to store data files, system files, archived log files, and transaction files. The valid values of the Capacity parameter vary based on the values of the Storage Type and Instance Type parameters that you specify. You can adjust the storage capacity at a step size of 5 GB.
Note
If you select the local SSD storage type, the storage capacity of the RDS instance may vary based on the instance type. If you select the standard SSD or ESSD storage type, the storage capacity of the RDS instance does not vary based on the instance type. For more information, see Primary ApsaraDB RDS instance types.
Optional. If you set the Billing Method parameter to Subscription, configure the Duration parameter based on your business requirements.
In the lower-right corner of the page, click Next: Instance Configuration.

Step 2: Configure advanced settings

Configure the Network Type parameter.
1. Set the Network Type parameter to VPC.
2. Configure the VPC and vSwitch of Primary Node parameters.
  We recommend that you select the VPC in which your ECS instance resides for the RDS instance. If the RDS instance and the ECS instance reside in different VPCs, these instances cannot communicate over an internal network.
  Note
  - You can connect the RDS instance and the ECS instance over an internal network even if the instances use different vSwitches in the same VPC.
  - If you set the Deployment Method parameter to Multi-zone Deployment in the Basic Configurations step, you must also configure the VSwitch of Secondary Node parameter.
3. Configure the Add to Whitelist parameter to specify whether to add the CIDR block of the selected VPC to a whitelist of the RDS instance.
  If you set this parameter to Yes, the ECS instances that reside in the selected VPC can access the RDS instance.
  Note
  If you set this parameter to No, you can configure a whitelist after the RDS instance is created. For more information, see Configure an IP address whitelist.
4. Configure the Port parameter.
  Valid values: 1000 to 5999. You can initialize the port when you create the RDS instance.
Configure the Release Protection parameter.
If you set the Billing Method parameter to Pay-As-You-Go, you can select Release Protection to prevent the RDS instance from being released due to unintended operations. For more information, see Enable or disable the release protection feature for an ApsaraDB RDS for SQL Server instance.
Configure the Resource Group parameter.
You can use the default resource group or select a custom resource group based on your business requirements.
Enter a description and specify tags for the instance.
Configure the Privileged Account parameter.
You can create a privileged account when you create the RDS instance. If you select Later, you can create a privileged account after the RDS instance is created.
Note
- Each RDS instance can have only one privileged account. The privileged account cannot be deleted.
- For more information about privileged accounts and how to create accounts, see Create a database and an account on an ApsaraDB RDS for PostgreSQL instance.
In the lower-right corner of the page, click Next: Confirm Order.

Step 3: Confirm the order

Confirm the configuration of the RDS instance in the Parameters section, configure the Purchase Plan and Duration parameters, read and select Terms of Service, and then click Pay Now to complete the payment. You must configure the Duration parameter only if you select the subscription billing method for the RDS instance.
Note
If you select the subscription billing method for the RDS instance, we recommend that you select Auto-Renew Enabled. This way, you can prevent interruptions on your workloads even if you forget to renew the RDS instance.
View the RDS instance.
Go to the Instances page. In the top navigation bar, select the region in which your RDS instance resides. Then, find the RDS instance based on the Creation Time parameter.
Note
The system requires 1 to 10 minutes to create an RDS instance. You can refresh the page to view the new RDS instance.

What to do next

Create accounts and databases. For more information, see Create accounts and databases.
Configure an IP address whitelist. For more information, see Configure an IP address whitelist.
Apply for or release a public endpoint. For more information, see Apply for or release a public endpoint.
Connect to the RDS instance. For more information, see Connect to an ApsaraDB RDS for SQL Server instance.

FAQ

After I submit the order for purchasing an RDS instance, why does the ApsaraDB RDS console not respond and why am I unable to find the created RDS instance?

Possible cause	Description	Suggestion
Incorrect region	The RDS instance does not reside in the region that you selected.	In the top navigation bar, select the region in which the RDS instance resides. Then, you can find the RDS instance.
Insufficient resources	The zone that you selected cannot provide sufficient resources. If the RDS instance cannot be created, you can go to the Orders page in the Billing Management console to view the refunded fees.	Select a different zone and try again.
RAM policies that do not allow users to create unencrypted RDS instances	RAM policies that do not allow users to create unencrypted RDS instances are attached to a RAM user. If you use the credentials of the RAM user to create an RDS instance that uses local disks, the RDS instance cannot be created. When you create an RDS instance that uses local disks, you cannot enable cloud disk encryption. If you use the credentials of the RAM user to create an RDS instance that uses cloud disks and you do not enable disk encryption for the RDS instance, the RDS instance cannot be created. For more information, see Use RAM policies to manage the permissions of RAM users on ApsaraDB RDS instances.	When you create an RDS instance, select the standard SSD or ESSD storage type, select Disk Encryption, configure the Key parameter, and then try again.

What to do next

For more information about how to create an RDS instance by calling an operation, see Create an instance.
For more information about how to create an RDS instance that runs a different database engine, see the following topics: