The section covers the requirements for adding a SQL Server Windows standalone target environment.

SQL server staging hosts and databases

This document identifies the requirements for interactions between the Delphix Engine and SQL Server environments and outlines the set of system tables to which we currently require access.

Shared Memory must be enabled as a Network Protocol for the SQL instances on the staging and target hosts.  To enable this, in SQL Server Config Manager, navigate to Client Protocols > Shared Memory

Staging host requirements

Windows servers which will be added as Staging Environments must meet the following requirements:

Staging Host Requirement

Explanation

The service account running each SQL Server instance (the Instance Owner) must be one of:

  • A domain user (e.g. MYDOMAIN\accountname) (RECOMMENDED)

  • A Managed Service Account or Group Managed Service Account ( MYDOMAIN\accountname$)(requires Windows 2012 and later, and SQL Server 2008R2 or later)

  • The LOCAL SYSTEM account (NT AUTHORITY\SYSTEM)

  • The NETWORK SERVICE account (NT AUTHORITY\NETWORK SERVICE)

Access to existing database backups for Snapshots and Validated Sync operations will fail if the service account cannot access backups created by the Source database instance.

The source host, proxy and staging environments must have appropriate cross-domain trust relationships

For more information on these requirements, read SQL Server introduction and architecture overview.

The edition of the installed SQL Server instance(s) must support all database features used by linked Source databases

SQL Server may raise an error during some dSource operations if the Staging SQL Server Instance does not support features used by the Source Database. 

This is most easily addressed by using the same edition of SQL Server as the Source database.

Features in use on the Source database can be checked using the sys.dm_db_persisted_sku_features dynamic view.

Must have both the Source and Staging Windows Users configured as local Windows users

See the sections Source Windows User Requirements and Staging Windows User Requirements for more detail.

Delphix Connector software is installed and running

See Installing the Delphix Connector Service on the Target Database Servers for instructions on installing the Delphix Connector.

Recommended iSCSI Registry settings must be in place

See Requirements for Windows iSCSI Configuration and Knowledge Base Article KBA1251 for instructions on applying these settings*.

*Please note that in 6.0.x, these performance settings are subject to change based on further tuning efforts by Delphix Engineering.

sqlcmd command line utility must be installed on the servers hosting VDBs and staging databases. The utility should be in the Delphix operating system user’s PATH environment variable.

Delphix does not run sqlcmd (or any other process) directly on the source SQL Server instance. It runs sqlcmd on the staging/connector host.

Shared Memory must be enabled as a Network Protocol for the SQL instances on the target.  To enable this, in SQL Server Config Manager, navigate to Client Protocols > Shared Memory.

Without the Shared Memory > Network Protocol, errors like sqlcmd : Sqlcmd: Error: Microsoft ODBC Driver 13 for SQL Server : Shared Memory Provider: Could not open a connection to SQL Server may occur while adding the staging environment during the discovery process.

Staging Windows user requirements

The Delphix Engine requires a Windows domain user — for example, MYDOMAIN\delphix_os — to be specified when adding Staging environments to the Delphix Engine. This user must have the following permissions:

Staging User Requirement

Explanation

Be a member of the Windows "Local Administrators" group on the Staging Host

We require this permission for mounting iSCSI LUNs presented by the Delphix Engine to the staging and target hosts.  Microsoft utilities used by the Delphix Engine, such as diskpart, require membership of this group.

Have the "Log on as batch" privilege on the Staging host

We require this permission for remote PowerShell execution.  This privilege can be assigned through the Local Security Policy (Local Policies → User Rights Assignment → Log on as batch job).

Be able to access existing backups from the Source Database

If accessing existing native, Red Gate, or LiteSpeed backups, the following permissions are required: 

  • The Staging Windows User and the service account running SQL Server must both have permission to access the database backups via SMB (Windows file sharing) 

  • The Staging Windows User and the service account running SQL Server must both have NTFS Permissions to access the database backups 

 Separate documents describe requirements if Linking a dSource from a NetBackup SQL Server Backup or Linking a dSource from a Commvault SQL Server Backup.

Be able to log in to each SQL Server instance that the Delphix Engine will communicate with

These requirements are described in the Staging Database Login Requirements section below.

Login requirements for staging databases

The Delphix Engine requires a Windows Authentication log in to be created for the Staging Windows User on each SQL Server instance that the Delphix Engine will communicate with, with the following permissions:

Object

Privileges Required

Delphix OS User (Windows Login)

Purpose

Server

CONNECT SQL

Y

Access to the SQL Server instance

Server

sysadmin

Y

The staging and target databases are managed and administered completely by Delphix. Our functionality requires many administrative operations on those databases and requires full access to them. 

Since database ownership can be changed by customers as part of configuring virtual databases, we require the sysadmin role to continue to administer the databases.

Target host requirements

Windows servers which will be added as Target Environments must meet the following requirements:

Target Host Requirement

Explanation

Delphix Connector software is installed and running

See Installing the Delphix Connector Service on the Target Database Servers for instructions on installing the Delphix Connector.

Recommended iSCSI Registry settings must be in place

See Requirements for Windows iSCSI Configuration and Knowledge Base Article KBA1251 for instructions on applying these settings.

The edition of the installed SQL Server instance(s) must support all database features used by linked Source databases

SQL Server may raise an error during some dSource operations if the Staging SQL Server Instance does not support features used by the Source Database.

This is most easily addressed by using the same edition of SQL Server as the Source database.

Features in use on the Source database can be checked using the sys.dm_db_persisted_sku_features dynamic view.

sqlcmd command line utility must be installed on the servers hosting VDBs and staging databases. The utility should be in the Delphix operating system user’s PATH environment variable.

SQL Server sqlcmd command line utility requires an ODBC Driver to perform queries in the Continuous Data engine.
You can check the SQL Server sqlcmd command line utility, which has its dependencies installed by establishing a connection by whoever the target SQL Server user is, whether the primary environment user or another AD login user account, to the SQL Server instance from a Powershell console prompt. Start Powershell console as an Administrator.”

To test SQL Server connectivity:

“sqlcmd -E -S <Hostname\SQLServer_Instance_Name>”.
For example, if the hostname is ‘10-43-64-60’ and the instance name is ‘SQL2019’ this is the command line used to verify connectivity (Use -E for trusted connection - ie. the Windows session login):

sqlcmd -E -S '10-43-64-60\SQL2019'

For more information about sqlcmd refer to this page: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/sql/tools/sqlcmd/sqlcmd-utility?view=sql-server-ver16&tabs=go%2Cwindows&pivots=cs1-bash

Delphix does not run sqlcmd (or any other process) directly on the source SQL Server instance. It runs sqlcmd on the staging/connector host.

Shared Memory must be enabled as a Network Protocol for the SQL instances on the target.  To enable this, in SQL Server Config Manager, navigate to Client Protocols > Shared Memory.

Without the Shared Memory > Network Protocol, errors like sqlcmd : Sqlcmd: Error: Microsoft ODBC Driver 13 for SQL Server : Shared Memory Provider: Could not open a connection to SQL Server may occur while adding the target environment during the discovery process.

Target Windows user requirements

The Delphix Engine requires a Windows domain user — for example, MYDOMAIN\delphix_os — to be specified when adding Target environments to the Delphix Engine. This user must have the following permissions:

Target User Requirement

Explanation

Be a member of the Windows "Local Administrators" group on the Target Host

We require this permission for mounting iSCSI LUNs presented by the Delphix Engine to the staging and target hosts.  Microsoft utilities used by the Delphix Engine, such as diskpart, require membership of this group.

Have the "Log on as batch" privilege on the Target Host

We require this permission for remote PowerShell execution.  This privilege can be assigned through the Local Security Policy (Local Policies → User Rights Assignment → Log on as batch job).

Be able to log in to each SQL Server instance that the Delphix Engine will communicate with

These requirements are described in the Target Database Login Requirements section below.

Delphix Connector software is installed and running

See Installing the Delphix Connector Service on the Target Database Servers for instructions on installing the Delphix Connector.

Login requirements for target databases

The Delphix Engine requires a Windows Authentication log in to be created for the Target Windows User on each SQL Server instance that the Delphix Engine will communicate with, with the following permissions:

Object

Privileges Required

Delphix OS User (Windows Login)

Purpose

Server

CONNECT SQL

Y

Access to the SQL Server instance

Server

sysadmin

Y

The staging and target databases are managed and administered completely by Delphix. Our functionality requires many administrative operations on those databases and requires full access to them. 

Since database ownership can be changed by customers as part of configuring virtual databases, we require the sysadmin role to continue to administer the databases.
Last updated
Oct 9, 2026