Microsoft SQL Server 2012 Bible

Migrating Data to SQL Database

So you want to move one or more of your applications and their databases to the cloud. It's a noble idea. More than likely, you're in the same category as countless others who are looking into moving applications into the cloud: You don't want to start from scratch. You'd rather migrate an existing application to the cloud, but you aren't sure about the steps necessary to do so, or the technologies available to help in the process. This section discusses three tools from Microsoft that come with SQL Server to help with your database migration needs:

• Generate and Publish Scripts Wizard
• SQL Server Integration Services (SSIS)
• Bcp utility

In addition to these three tools, a free utility found on CodePlex called the SQL Database Migration Wizard, which provides a wizard-driven interface to walk you through migrating your database and data to SQL Database, is briefly covered.

The examples in this chapter use SQL Server 2012. These examples also work with SQL Server 2008 R2.

Note

You may wonder why the SQL Server Import and Export Wizard isn't listed here. The answer is that the SQL Server Import and Export Wizard isn't supported for SQL Database yet. Microsoft is working on it. No timeframe has been given as to when the Import/Export Wizard will support SQL Database, but support is definitely in the works.

The database you will use in these examples is from a scaled-down version of the AdventureWorks database, which you can download from the website ...