---
title: "Tutorial: Evaluating Best Practices by Using Policy-Based Management | Microsoft Docs"
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ms.date: "06/13/2017"
ms.prod: "sql-server-2014"
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  - "best practices analyzer"
  - "Policy-Based Management, best practices policies"
  - "Best Practices [Database Engine]"
  - "Policy-Based Management, evaluating policies"
  - "BPA"
  - "tutorials [Policy-Based Management]"
  - "Policy-Based Management, tutorials"
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---
# Tutorial: Evaluating Best Practices by Using Policy-Based Management
  Welcome to the Evaluating Best Practices by Using Policy-Based Management tutorial. This tutorial is intended for users who are familiar with [!INCLUDE[ssNoVersion](../includes/ssnoversion-md.md)], but new to Policy-Based Management. Policy-Based Management is a system for defining policies that can be used enforce site administration standards. Policy-Based Management includes a set of best practices policies that you can use to analyze an instance of [!INCLUDE[ssNoVersion](../includes/ssnoversion-md.md)] to determine whether the instance meets best practices guidelines and recommendations.  
  
## What You Will Learn  
 In this tutorial, you will learn how to evaluate best practices policies for the [!INCLUDE[ssDEnoversion](../includes/ssdenoversion-md.md)] on an on-demand (or "ad hoc") basis, or on a scheduled basis.  
  
 This tutorial is divided into two lessons:  
  
 [Lesson 1: Evaluate Best Practices on an On-Demand Basis](../../2014/tutorials/lesson-1-evaluate-best-practices-on-an-on-demand-basis.md)  
 In this lesson, you perform an on-demand evaluation of the policies against one or more instances of [!INCLUDE[ssNoVersion](../includes/ssnoversion-md.md)].  
  
 [Lesson 2: Evaluate Best Practices Policies on a Scheduled Basis](../../2014/tutorials/lesson-2-evaluate-best-practices-policies-on-a-scheduled-basis.md)  
 In this lesson, you configure best practices policies to run on a scheduled basis. The lesson shows how to configure scheduled policies on a single instance, and how to deploy scheduled policies from a central location to multiple instances of [!INCLUDE[ssNoVersion](../includes/ssnoversion-md.md)].  
  
## Requirements  
 This lesson requires basic database knowledge and a basic understanding of [!INCLUDE[ssManStudioFull](../includes/ssmanstudiofull-md.md)].  
  
 To use this tutorial, the server must have [!INCLUDE[ssManStudio](../includes/ssmanstudio-md.md)] installed.  
  
## Start the Tutorial  
 [Lesson 1: Evaluate Best Practices on an On-Demand Basis](../../2014/tutorials/lesson-1-evaluate-best-practices-on-an-on-demand-basis.md)  
  
## See Also  
 [Administer Servers by Using Policy-Based Management](../relational-databases/policy-based-management/administer-servers-by-using-policy-based-management.md)