System Center SQL Collation Requirements

I don't normally like posting about other people's blog posts but I felt this one is important enough to bend the rules a little for.

When installing any System Center product in your environment, you will need to install it's database(s) into an instance of SQL. One of the main reasons that I've come across in the past for dysfunctional System Center deployments - particularly SCOM and SCCM - is attributed to an incorrect SQL collation setting being specified during installation.

When deploying System Center and when using the English language within your Operating System, you will nearly always want to use the SQL_Latin1_General_CP1_CI_AS collation setting.

I use the word 'nearly' in the above sentence because after reading an excellent post yesterday from Microsoft's Travis Wright, he explains how Microsoft are starting to move away from this once 'De Facto' standard of SQL collation due to issues around search and data retrieval within the new System Center Service Manager product.

Travis also posts a list of the other SQL collation settings that are applicable when not using the English language.

The link to his excellent post is below:

http://blogs.technet.com/b/servicemanager/archive/2012/05/24/clarification-on-sql-server-collation-requirements-for-system-center-2012.aspx

Even though all of System Center 2012 products have the recommended SQL collation configuration built into their Pre-Requisite checks, I'd suggest bookmarking this post for future reference as it can save you or someone else a LOT of time in the future!