Microsoft Access 2010 Bible

Chapter 38: Upsizing Access Databases to SQL Server

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Running the Upsizing Wizard

After you’ve completed the steps to prepare for the conversion (see the preceding section), you’re

ready to upsize your application. First, open the Microsoft Access database that you want to con-

vert. This example upsizes the database for this chapter (Chapter38.accdb — make sure you

use the original copy).

Note
Keep in mind that the result of the Upsizing Wizard is a brand-new Access .adp file already linked to the SQL
Server database created by the Upsizing Wizard. Your original .accdb file remains unchanged.

Notice that the following steps accept all the default options provided by the Upsizing Wizard.

Accepting all defaults is the best way to ensure that the upsized version of your application works

exactly as the .accdb version. The Upsizing Wizard creates a SQL Server database that mirrors the

.accdb in almost every regard, including table and field names, data types, and validation rules.

1. Open the Access database for this chapter (Chapter38.accdb).


2. Select the Database Tools tab.


3. Select the SQL Server option from the Move Data section.

The first dialog box of the Upsizing Wizard is shown in Figure 38.1.

FIGURE 38.1

Upsizing from Access to SQL Server

Notice that the Create New Database option has been selected in this dialog box.
Selecting the Use Existing Database option requires an existing SQL Server database as
the target of the upsizing process. For the purposes of this demonstration, assume that
you’re upsizing an Access database to take advantage of the features provided by SQL
Server, and you’re creating a brand-new SQL Server database to use as the data source for
an existing Access application.