Microsoft® SQL Server® 2012 Bible

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Part V: Enterprise Data Management

Now that your application is encapsulated in a DAC package, you need to deploy it. Connect

to the instance to which you want to deploy the DAC in Management Studio and follow

these steps:

1. Right-click the databases node, and from the context menu, select Deploy Data-tier
   Application.


2. Click Next to advance the Introduction screen.


3. Click the Browse button, navigate to the fi le system location of your DAC package
   fi le. Select it and click Open.


4. At the Update Confi guration screen you can customize the name of the deployed
   database. Click Next to proceed to the Summary screen.


5. After you verify your selections on the Summary screen, click Next to deploy the
   DAC application and database.


6. After deployment is complete, you can save a copy of the deployment by clicking
   the Save Report button.


7. Click Finish to complete.
   Once you are done, you’ll see your new database listed under the databases node on the
   target instance. One thing to note is that this process only encapsulates and deploys the
   database objects, the data itself is not transferred through DACPACs.

In order to move a Data-Tier Application, including its data, to another server you can

instead choose to export the DAC rather than extract. Exporting a DAC creates another type

of fi le, very similar to a DACPAC, called a BACPAC. This BACPAC fi le contains not only the

database schema and objects but it also includes the data stored in the database.

Support for exporting a DAC or database can only be exported from a database in Azure SQL

Database or SQL Server 2005 Service 4 (SP4) or later. Another limitation in exporting a DAC

is that the database objects you are trying to export must also be supported in a DAC. For a

full listing of supported objects and versions in a DAC refer to http://msdn.microsoft.

com/en-us/library/ee210549.

Summary

When you need to move a database, backing up and restoring may not necessarily be the

fi rst or best option. Choose the right transfer method based on network proximity of the

servers and the objects and data to be moved. Some key points to remember follow:

■ (^) Use the Detach/Attach method to quickly and easily move or copy a database from
one server to another.
■ (^) If you cannot afford to detach a database, use the good old Backup/Restore method
to copy a database from one server to another.
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