I recently got my copy of SQL Server 2008 R2 Enterprise.
Is it safe to install SQL Server 2008 R2 Enterprise edition to my current machine with SQL Server 2008 Express already installed? Or do I have to unintall SQL Server 2008 Express edition first before installing the Enterprise edition?
FYI, I'm running Windows 7 with Visual Studio 2010 installed as well. Thanks.
It should install just fine, as a second (named) instance.
Edit/ - although, I will note that Windows 7 is not a supported OS for SQL Enterprise. It might install (I'm not sure, maybe it won't), but it's not supported. Standard and below are supported on Windows 7. You may want to look into SQL 2008 R2 Developer instead.
It should be fine.
If SQL Express is installed as the default instance then you can install Enterprise as a named instance.
If SQL Express is installed as a named instance then you can install Enterprise as the default instance or as a named instance.
If you can I would uninstall Express and then install Enterprise first as the default instance and then Express as a named instance (which is the default for Express anyway). The management tools installed by Express are not full featured relative to other editions and will not support all of the features of Enterprise.
Technically, you shouldn't have to install it as a new instance. SQL 2008 R2 supports an upgrade of the instance that's already in place. You shouldn't have to create a new instance and move all databases to that new instance. The upgrade should make any underlying changes to the databases to make it Enterprise capable (these changes would be more of 2008 to 2008 R2 changes).
I haven't upgraded Express to Enterprise, but I have upgraded 2008 Standard to 2008 R2 Enterprise without any issues.
