Your installation of Savvy CM includes a /install/ folder with some scripts to help you test your install. Run the diagnostic utility in your browser to check your configuration.
Example address: http://yourdomainname.com/install/
Run the diagnostic utility to confirm your installation is properly configured.
Once the diagnostic has run without error you should go back to the install page and click on "create/upgrade database". This will connect to your empty database and create all table structures, indexes, etc.
Upgrading the database is the same as creating one. The same script is run for either action. It will parse the xml description file and create any needed columns, indexes and tables, and also alter any data needed for the upgrade. You will still need to move over files for the upgrade.