Move content database from Windows Internal Database or SQL Server Express Edition to an instance of SQL Server (Search Server 2008)

  • Article

Applies To: Microsoft Search Server 2008

 

Topic Last Modified: 2008-09-02

You can move Microsoft Search Server 2008 content databases from Windows Internal Database or from Microsoft SQL Server 2005 Express Edition to an instance of Microsoft SQL Server 2005. Windows Internal Database uses SQL Server technology as a relational data store for Windows roles and features only, such as Windows SharePoint Services, Active Directory Rights Management Services, UDDI Services, Windows Server Update Services, and Windows System Resources Manager..

If you are running the Infrastructure Update for Microsoft Office Servers, the identifier (ID) of each content database is retained when you restore or reattach the database by using built-in tools. Default change log retention behavior when using built-in tools is as follows:

  • The change logs for all databases are retained when you restore a farm.

  • The change log for a content database is retained when you reattach the database.

  • The change log for a content database is NOT retained when you restore just the content database.

When a database ID and change log are retained, Search continues crawling based on the regular schedule defined by crawl rules. When a change log is not retained, Search performs a full crawl during the next scheduled crawl.

For more information, see Move content databases (Search Server 2008) and Protecting and restoring the farm (Search Server 2008).

Important

This article covers moving content databases only and does not provide information for moving other databases that are associated with Search Server 2008.

Important

If you detach and reattach a content database, be aware that the next time the content within that content database is crawled a full crawl will occur even if an incremental crawl has been requested. Because a full crawl re-crawls all content that the crawler encounters, regardless of whether that content has been previously crawled, full crawls can take significantly more time to complete than incremental crawls.

Move content databases to an instance of SQL Server

In the move process, you will use both Search Server 2008 tools and Microsoft SQL Server 2005 tools. You can use the SharePoint Central Administration Web site or the Stsadm command-line tool. Steps for both are provided. The process involves the following phases:

  1. By using Search Server 2008 tools, remove the content database from the Web application. Removing the content database does not delete the database; it only removes the association of the database with the Web application. This action is analogous to detaching a database in SQL Server in that the content of the database remains intact.

  2. Copy or move the .mdf and .ldf files from the source server to the destination server (if they are different servers).

  3. By using SQL Server 2005 tools, select the transferred files and attach the database to the destination instance of SQL Server.

  4. By using Search Server 2008 tools, add the content database to the destination Web application. Be sure that you use exactly the same name to reattach the content database, or Search Server 2008 will create a new database.

  5. By using Search Server 2008 tools, re-index the content in the newly reattached content database.

The following procedures provide steps for moving content databases by using Central Administration or the Stsadm command-line tool.

Important

Membership in the Administrators group on the local computer is required to complete this procedure. In addition, you must have at least the following roles in SQL Server 2005:

  • The dbowner fixed database role for the database on the source server running SQL Server 2005 or instance of SQL Server, to detach the database.

  • If you are moving the databases from one farm to another farm, you must make the database access account a member of the Administrators group on the database server during the restore process. This is required for the account to replicate the security setting for the databases. This access level can be removed after the restore process is complete.

  • The dbcreater fixed server role on the destination server running SQL Server 2005 or instance of SQL Server, to attach the database.

Move content databases by using Central Administration

  1. In Central Administration, on the Application Management page, in the SharePoint Web Application Management section, click Content databases.

    Note

    Record the exact names of the content databases that you want to move. If you are moving or copying several content databases from more than one Web application, record which content database is associated with each Web application.

  2. On the Manage Content Databases page, click the content database that you want to move.

    Note

    If the content database does not appear, it might be associated with another Web application. To select another Web application, on the Web Application menu, click Change Web Application.

  3. On the Manage Content Database Settings page, in the Remove Content Database section, select the Remove content database check box, and then click OK.

    Note

    Removing the content database does not delete the database; it only removes the association of the database with the Web application.

  4. Repeat steps 2 and 3 for each content database you are moving.]

  5. In Windows Explorer, browse to the location of the .mdf and .ldf files for the content databases.

  6. Select the files, and then either copy or move them to the destination directory.

  7. In SQL Server 2005 Management Studio, open the destination instance of SQL Server.

  8. Right-click the Databases node, point to Tasks, and then click Attach.

  9. In the Attach Database dialog box, browse to the location to which you transferred the .mdf and .ldf files, select the .mdf file for the database you want to attach, and then click OK.

  10. Repeat steps 8 and 9 for each content database that you want to move.]

  11. In Central Administration, on the Application Management page, in the SharePoint Web Application Management section, click Content databases.

  12. On the Manage Content Databases page, click Add a content database.

  13. On the Add Content Database page, in the Database Name box, type the exact name of the transferred content database, and then click OK.

  14. Repeat steps 12 and 13 for each database that you are adding. Be sure that you select the correct Web application for each database from the Web Application menu.

  15. Start a full crawl of each of the transferred content databases. For information about starting a full crawl, see Start a full crawl (Office SharePoint Server 2007).

Move content databases using by using the Stsadm command-line tool

  1. On the drive on which SharePoint Products and Technologies is installed, change to the following directory: %COMMONPROGRAMFILES%\Microsoft shared\Web server extensions\12\Bin.

  2. At a command prompt, type the following command, and then press ENTER:

    stsadm -o deletecontentdb -url <URL name> -databasename <database name> [-databaseserver <database server name>]

    For more information about the deletecontentdb operation, see Deletecontentdb: Stsadm operation (Office SharePoint Server).

    Note

    You must perform this command for each content database you want to move. Removing the content database does not delete the database but only removes the association of the database with the Web application.

  3. In Windows Explorer, browse to the location of the .mdf and .ldf files for the content databases.

  4. Select the files, and then either copy or move them to the destination directory.

  5. In SQL Server 2005 Management Studio, open the destination instance of SQL Server.

  6. Right-click the Databases node, point to Tasks, and then select Attach.

  7. In the Attach Database dialog box, browse to the location to which you transferred the .mdf and .ldf files, select the .mdf file for the database you want to attach, and then click OK.

  8. Repeat steps 6 and 7 for each content database that you are moving.

  9. On the drive on which SharePoint Products and Technologies is installed, open the command line and change to the following directory: %COMMONPROGRAMFILES%\Microsoft shared\Web server extensions\12\Bin.

  10. Type the following command, and then press ENTER:

    stsadm -o addcontentdb -url <URL name> -databasename <database name> [-databaseserver <database server name>]

    For more information about the addcontentdb operation, see Addcontentdb: Stsadm operation (Office SharePoint Server).

    Note

    You must perform this command for each content database you want to move. You can create a batch script to do this.

  11. Start a full crawl of each of the transferred content databases. For more information about starting a full crawl, see Start a full crawl (Office SharePoint Server 2007).

See Also

Concepts

Move content databases (Search Server 2008)
Move content databases between instances of SQL Server (Search Server 2008)