Accelerate Your Database Modernization with the Nutanix Database Service (NDB) Fitment Tool

Database modernization is a top priority for IT organizations, but moving complex database estates to a new management platform requires thought and planning. Whether your databases are already running on Nutanix infrastructure or you are planning a migration from legacy infrastructure, helping your databases meet the right configuration standards is key to unlocking automation, operational consistency, and simplified operations.

To make this journey smooth and predictable, we are excited to introduce the Nutanix Database Service (NDB) Fitment Tool - an automated readiness assessment tool for NDB. The initial version supports Microsoft SQL Server environments and performs fitment checks across the Database Virtual Machine (DBVM), SQL Server instance, Availability Group, and database layers.

The NDB Fitment Tool takes the guesswork out of onboarding by analyzing your SQL Server environment and identifying potential fitment gaps. It provides a clear, actionable readiness report to help you confidently transition your workloads to NDB.

What is NDB?

NDB is Nutanix's flagship Database-as-a-Service (DBaaS) platform, delivering enterprise-grade database automation and lifecycle management across hybrid cloud environments. NDB supports the widely used commercial and open-source database engines - including Microsoft SQL Server, Oracle Database, EDB Postgres Advanced Server, PostgreSQL, MongoDB, MySQL and MariaDB - through a single, unified platform. Used by global enterprises, government organizations, and mission-critical workloads worldwide, NDB simplifies database operations by automating provisioning, patching, cloning, backup and recovery, and ongoing lifecycle management, enabling organizations to help improve operational efficiency, strengthen data protection, and accelerate application delivery at scale.

Why the NDB Fitment Tool?

Every database environment is unique. Organizations often operate SQL Server across a wide range of platforms with varying OS baselines, storage provisioning practices, and security configurations. While NDB brings standardized best practices to database lifecycle management, these existing variations can sometimes introduce friction during the onboarding process.

The NDB Fitment Tool enables customers to validate SQL Server database servers before onboarding them into NDB. Rather than discovering configuration issues during the registration process, administrators can run the tool in advance to generate a detailed Excel report identifying both compliant configurations and any prerequisites that require attention. This proactive validation accelerates onboarding and improves first-time registration success. Successful registration is fundamental to NDB - not only for onboarding existing database servers, but also for greenfield deployments, where a registered server serves as the "golden image" used to create NDB Software Profiles for future database provisioning.

This tool is designed to provide immediate value in two primary scenarios:

1. Elevating Existing Nutanix Database Workloads
If you are currently running databases on Nutanix Cloud Infrastructure (NCI) which were not provisioned by NDB, you are already benefiting from our resilient architecture. The natural next step is to leverage NDB to automate provisioning, patching, cloning, and data protection.

The NDB Fitment Tool helps you evaluate your existing Nutanix-hosted databases to see if they can be seamlessly registered as-is (brownfield registration). For example, it checks your disk layouts, PowerShell versions, and SQL privileges. If your configurations align with NDB best practices, you may be able to bring them under NDB management immediately. If adjustments are needed - such as modifying a storage layout to help ensure optimal performance - the tool provides clear recommendations so you can replatform the database and design it to perform seamlessly under NDB.

2. Planning Your Migration to Nutanix
For customers running databases on legacy 3-tier architectures, VMware environments, or the public cloud, migrating to a new platform requires careful planning.

The NDB Fitment Tool serves as an excellent discovery mechanism. By running the tool against your current environment, you gain full visibility into your SQL Server estate. You will understand which databases are ready for NDB and what minor configuration changes are needed before migration. This upfront clarity empowers your teams to build a more informed migration plan, helping reduce complexity and support faster adoption.

How It Works

The NDB Fitment Tool is lightweight, secure, and designed to assess multiple VMs in parallel without impacting your database performance.

• Comprehensive Checks: It performs deep validation across the DBVM (OS, WinRM, PowerShell), the SQL Instance (authentication, privileges, Availability Groups), and the Database (recovery models, status). 
• Actionable Reporting: You receive a consolidated Excel report that categorizes your systems into clear statuses - Fit, Partially Fit, or Not Fit - alongside specific, actionable recommendations for any flagged items. 
• Secure Execution: The tool leverages standard PowerShell Remoting and uses your existing authentication mechanisms, ensuring your sensitive configuration data remains protected.

Start Your Assessment Today

We built the NDB Fitment Tool to help make your journey to automated database management as seamless as possible. By providing upfront visibility and clear guidance, we help you reduce onboarding friction and start realizing the benefits of Nutanix Database Service faster.

The tool is available now on the Nutanix Support Portal. Download it today, run your first assessment, and take the next step toward a fully modernized, automated database estate!

Additional Resources:

• For more details on Nutanix Database Service (NDB) , see the NDB Webpage
• For more details on SQL Server support in NDB, see the NDB SQL Server page
• Join the NDB Forum