Create a serverless SQL Server instance

Prerequisites

If you use a RAM user to create an ApsaraDB RDS instance, the RAM user must have the AliyunRDSFullAccess permission. For more information about granting permissions, see Use RAM for resource authorization.

Billing

Fees for a serverless ApsaraDB RDS for SQL Server instance include RCU (RDS Capacity Unit) fees and storage capacity fees.

Procedure

1. Go to the ApsaraDB RDS buy page and set Billing Method to Serverless.

2. Select a Region.

   Select the region where you want to create the ApsaraDB RDS instance. The following regions are supported: China (Shanghai), China (Hangzhou), China (Beijing), China (Zhangjiakou), China (Shenzhen), and China (Chengdu), as well as .

   Note

   • If your application or client is deployed on an ECS instance, we recommend that you create the ApsaraDB RDS instance in the same region as the ECS instance. Otherwise, the ECS instance can access the ApsaraDB RDS instance only over the internet, which reduces performance. You cannot change the region of an ApsaraDB RDS instance after it is created.

   • If you want to connect to the ApsaraDB RDS instance from a device other than an ECS instance, such as an on-premises server or computer, select a region that is geographically close to your device. You can then connect to the instance by using its public endpoint.

3. Configure the Database Engine, Edition, Storage Type, and RDS Capacity Units (RCUs) range.

   Parameter	Description	Example
   Database Engine	Set Database Engine to SQL Server. Supported major versions include 2016 Standard Edition, 2017 Standard Edition, and 2019 Standard Edition.	2019 Standard Edition
   Edition	Serverless ApsaraDB RDS for SQL Server instances support only the High-availability Edition.	High-availability Edition
   Storage Type	Serverless ApsaraDB RDS for SQL Server instances support only the PL1 ESSD storage type.	PL1 ESSD
   RDS Capacity Units (RCUs)	One RCU is equivalent to approximately 1 vCPU core (max) and 2 GB of memory. The Minimum value is 2 RCUs, and the Maximum value is 16 RCUs. After you specify the minimum and maximum values, the instance automatically scales its resources within this range based on workload peaks.	Minimum: 2 RCUs Maximum: 16 RCUs

4. Configure the network for the instance. The Network Type is fixed to VPC.

   1. Select a VPC.

      We recommend that you select the same VPC as your ECS instance. ECS and ApsaraDB RDS instances in different VPCs cannot communicate with each other over the internal network.

      Note

      ECS instances and ApsaraDB RDS instances in the same VPC can communicate over the internal network even if they use different vSwitches.

   2. Specify whether to add the CIDR block of the VPC to the Add to Whitelist.

      If you add the CIDR block to a whitelist, ECS instances in the same VPC can access the ApsaraDB RDS instance.

      Note

      If you select No for this parameter, you can manually configure a whitelist after the instance is created.

5. Select the zone, vSwitch, network, and Deployment Method for the instance.

   • How to select a zone

     A zone is an independent physical area within a region. For example, the China (Hangzhou) region has Zone H, Zone I, and Zone J.

     • There is no substantial difference between zones in the same region.

     • An ECS instance provides better performance when accessing an ApsaraDB RDS instance in the same zone compared to one in a different zone within the same region, but the difference is minor.

   • How to select a vSwitch

     A vSwitch is a foundational network device within a VPC. A vSwitch can connect different cloud resources. When you create a cloud resource in a VPC, you must specify the vSwitch to which the resource connects.

     Select an existing vSwitch or click Create vSwitch to create one. For parameter details, see Create and manage a vSwitch.

   • How to select a deployment method

     • Multi-zone Deployment (Recommended): The primary and secondary nodes are located in different zones within the same region, providing cross-zone disaster recovery.

       If you select Multi-zone Deployment as the Deployment Method, you must also configure the Zone and Network of Primary Node and Zone and Network of Secondary Node.

     • Single-zone Deployment: The primary and secondary nodes are located in the same zone.

       Single-zone Deployment

     Note

     • For high-availability instances, we recommend selecting Multi-zone Deployment to enable cross-zone disaster recovery.

     • If a zone is marked as Sold Out, select a different zone.

6. Set the Storage Capacity.

   Drag the slider to select the storage capacity. This value sets the provisioned storage capacity. For example, if you set the storage capacity to 100 GB, you are billed for the full 100 GB regardless of your actual usage.

   Note

   If the storage capacity becomes insufficient, you can manually increase it. You cannot decrease the storage capacity after it is increased. You are billed based on the new storage capacity.

7. Configure additional parameters. You can keep the default values if you do not have specific requirements.

   Parameter	Description
   Release Protection	You can enable release protection for your instance to prevent accidental release.
   Resource Group	Select a default or custom resource group to facilitate instance management.
   Instance Name	Specify a custom name that is 2 to 255 characters in length. The name must start with a letter or a Chinese character and can contain digits, underscores (_), and hyphens (-).
   Tags	You can add a tag to the instance for classification and management.
   Privileged Account	Select Configure Now to configure a Database account and Password, and create a privileged account when you create the instance. You can also click Configure Later and then create a privileged account after the instance is created. Important Each instance can have only one privileged account. A privileged account cannot be deleted.

8. In the upper-right corner of the page, specify the number of instances to purchase.

   The default value is 1. You can purchase up to 20 instances at a time. Select a quantity based on your business requirements.

9. In the right-side panel, confirm the order information and quantity, click Pay Now, and then complete the payment.

10. View the instance.

    Go to the Instances page. In the top navigation bar, select the region of your instance. Then, find the new instance based on its Creation Time.

    Note

    If instance creation fails, the resources in the selected zone may be insufficient. In this case, select another zone and try again.

Next steps

• Create databases and accounts

• Configure a whitelist

• Enable or disable a public endpoint

• Connect to a SQL Server instance

FAQ

Related documents

• Change the RCU scaling range of a serverless ApsaraDB RDS for SQL Server instance

• Increase the storage capacity of an ApsaraDB RDS instance

• Release a serverless ApsaraDB RDS for SQL Server instance

• Create a serverless ApsaraDB RDS for SQL Server instance by calling the CreateDBInstance API operation