Ok, now that you downloaded it, try successfully installing it.
The entire installation experience is a disaster both from the outside[0], and from the inside. If I remember correctly, guys from SQL Server Setup team had to use like 16 Product Keys to work around various, err, quirks, to put it mildly, of the underlying MSI "technology"
The last time I tried to install it, it was a nightmare. This was a few years ago before they put helpful explanations of what different versions mean, so the first time I picked the wrong one. After installing it and realizing that I tried to get the right version but it wouldn't install. Some issue with the other version being installed, so I uninstalled the other version.
Only then I discovered you can't actually uninstall SQL Server. I mean, you can tell it to uninstall, it'll go through the motions and look like it uninstalled, but it won't actually uninstall. And you can't install another version until you uninstall the other version, which doesn't actually uninstall.
I think at this point I either had to go in and manually kill processes and delete files and registry entries, or I just reinstalled windows on my VM, I don't remember. I do remember it being a nightmare and once I got it working I vowed to never reformat or update again.
The UI and UX is bad and it indeed doesn't have anything to do with the MSI.
The "undercovers" are appaling, this time all because of MSI. As a consequence, there's no way you can cleanly uninstall Microsoft SQL Server from the system.
I'm kinda interested in which pieces are MSI problems. There's a lot of strangeness in msi it generally it tends to work out pretty well unless you're doing weird stuff.
Comments
Ok, now that you downloaded it, try successfully installing it.
The entire installation experience is a disaster both from the outside[0], and from the inside. If I remember correctly, guys from SQL Server Setup team had to use like 16 Product Keys to work around various, err, quirks, to put it mildly, of the underlying MSI "technology"
[0]: http://www.sqlservercentral.com/blogs/basits-sql-server-tips...
The last time I tried to install it, it was a nightmare. This was a few years ago before they put helpful explanations of what different versions mean, so the first time I picked the wrong one. After installing it and realizing that I tried to get the right version but it wouldn't install. Some issue with the other version being installed, so I uninstalled the other version.
Only then I discovered you can't actually uninstall SQL Server. I mean, you can tell it to uninstall, it'll go through the motions and look like it uninstalled, but it won't actually uninstall. And you can't install another version until you uninstall the other version, which doesn't actually uninstall.
I think at this point I either had to go in and manually kill processes and delete files and registry entries, or I just reinstalled windows on my VM, I don't remember. I do remember it being a nightmare and once I got it working I vowed to never reformat or update again.
Honestly, SQL Server is one of the worst constructed and thought up installations I've ever seen - I don't think MSI had anything to do with it.
I've seen some bad installations, but whoever made that one should not be proud of that work.
Like I said, there are two sides of "badness".
The UI and UX is bad and it indeed doesn't have anything to do with the MSI.
The "undercovers" are appaling, this time all because of MSI. As a consequence, there's no way you can cleanly uninstall Microsoft SQL Server from the system.
I'm kinda interested in which pieces are MSI problems. There's a lot of strangeness in msi it generally it tends to work out pretty well unless you're doing weird stuff.
I'm not saying you're wrong - just interested!