I get asked all the time "how do I move an MS SQL database server from one server to another?".

There is a lot involved in doing this by hand (this is a whole different article I will write some other day).

The major concern when migrating a DB among servers whether it's from an MS SQL 2000 to the same type environment or if you are upgrading to a 2005  install is the object ownership. It is always best practice to create all of your MS SQL objects as DBO however this is not always the case and in most instances it is out of our reach.

We are currently working on the implementation and integration to our existing control panel of a web application that will allow you to manage your back ups and restore options for your MS SQL 2000 or 2005 database.

Although this tool has been deployed it is still being in beta testing for our users it is fully functional at: https://sqlbackup.appliedi.net

Note that at this time this tool only available for certain MS SQL servers.

Live Scenarios:

I. Bring your db from another server: You are in the process of developing or migrating an existing ASP or ASP.net application.

1. Obtain a back up database file from the existing server (https://sqlbackup.appliedi.net/).
2. Login to the URL mentioned above (you must have a an existing MS SQL account on one of the available servers).
3. Choose the RESTORE option and follow the steps.
4. The most important step is number 6 as this is the step responsible for doing all the cleaning.

II. Grab a backup of your existing db for local storage or local development.

1. Login to the URL mentioned above (https://sqlbackup.appliedi.net).
2. Select the database you wish to backup.
3. You are now ready to back up and download your ".bak" file.