Move or rename service application databases in SharePoint Server

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Learn how to move or rename service application databases in SharePoint Server.

The main reason to move service application databases to another farm database server is to load balance the farm. Or you might need to move it to newer hardware.

Renaming service application databases is often done to remove the GUID from the database name after you've used SharePoint Products Configuration Wizard and SharePoint Server Product Configuration Wizard to create the service application databases in your farm. You might also need to align the database names with your organization's naming standards.

Both moving and renaming service application databases follow the same basic process, but there are a few more steps when you are moving service application databases.

  1. Move or rename SharePoint Server service application databases using Microsoft SQL Server Management Studio or Microsoft PowerShell.

  2. Point the SharePoint service application to the moved or renamed database using either the SharePoint Central Administration website or PowerShell.

    Depending on how many service application databases you move or rename, pointing the service application to the database can be complex. Different service applications require different methods to point to the moved or renamed database.

These service application databases use the following steps:

  • App Management Service

  • Managed Metadata Service

  • PerformancePoint Service

  • Secure Store Service

  • SharePoint Translation Service

  • State Service

  • Subscription Settings Service

  • Word Automation Services

  1. Stop or disable the service application.

  2. Detach the database.

  3. Move or rename the database.

  4. Attach the database.

  5. Point the service application to the moved or renamed database.

  6. Restart the service application.

The Business Data Connectivity Service and User Profile Service applications databases require the following steps to move or rename the databases:

  1. Stop or disable the service application.

  2. Detach the database.

  3. Move or rename the database.

  4. Attach the database.

  5. Point the service application to the moved or renamed database.

  6. Delete the service application.

  7. Recreate the service application.

  8. Restart the service application.

The Search Service application databases require the following steps:

  1. Pause the service application.

  2. Set the Search service application to Read-Only.

  3. Backup the service application.

  4. Set the max degree of parallelism to 1 in the new server that hosts SQL Server.

  5. Restore the Search service application to a new database server.

  6. Set the Search Service application to read/write.

  7. Start the service application.

  8. Point the Search service application to the moved or renamed databases.

General steps to move or rename service application databases by using SQL Server

To move a service application database, you must use SQL Server. To rename a service application database, you must use SQL Server and File Explorer.

Caution

Don't attempt to move and rename a database in one procedure. You should either move a database or rename a database, not perform both actions at the same time.

When you move or rename service application databases, the first step is to stop the service application for the database that you are changing. You can stop or start services by using Central Administration or PowerShell.

Step 1: To stop the service application by using Central Administration

  1. Use an account that is a member of the Farm Administrators SharePoint group.

  2. In Central Administration click System Settings.

  3. On the System Settings page, in the Servers section, click Manage services on server.

  4. Find the service application that you want to stop, click Stop or Disable in the Action column for the service, and then click OK.

To stop a service by using PowerShell

  1. Use an account with these memberships:

    • securityadmin fixed server role on the SQL Server instance.

    • db_owner fixed database role on all databases that are to be updated.

    • Administrators group on the server on which you are running the PowerShell cmdlets.

    Note

    For additional information about Microsoft PowerShell permissions, see Permissions.

  2. Start the SharePoint Management Shell.

  3. You need to know the service GUID for the next step. Use the Get-SPServiceInstance cmdlet to retrieve a list of all services in the farm together with their GUIDs.

  4. At the PowerShell command prompt, type the following command:

    Stop-SPServiceInstance -Identity <ServiceGUID>
    

    Where <ServiceGUID> is the GUID of the service.

    For more information, see Stop-SPServiceInstance.

Move a database by using SQL Server Management Studio and File Explorer

Moving a database requires that you first detach the database from the SQL Server, move the files to the new location by using File Explorer, and then attach the database to the new instance of SQL Server.

Step 2: To detach a database from SQL Server

  1. Use an account that has the db_owner fixed database role for all of the databases that you're moving.

  2. In SQL Server Management Studio, connect to the SQL Server instance that the service application database is attached to, and then expand the Databases node.

  3. Right-click the database, point to Tasks, and then click Detach. Repeat this step for each database that you want to move.

Step 3: To move the database files to a new location by using File Explorer

  1. Use an account that has read permission on the source location and write permission on the target location.

  2. In File Explorer, find the .mdf, .ndf, and .ldf files for the service application databases and select the ones you want to move. The database files are typically found here, C:\Program Files\Microsoft SQL Server\MSSQL12.MSSQLServer\MSSQL\Data

  3. Either copy or move the database files to the new location.

Step 4: To attach a database to a new instance of SQL Server

  1. Use an account that has the db_owner fixed database role for all of the databases that you're moving.

  2. In SQL Server Management Studio, open the destination SQL Server instance.

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

  4. In the Attach Database dialog, browse to where you moved the .mdf, .ndf, and .ldf files, select the .mdf file for the database that you want to attach, and then click OK. Repeat this step for each database that you're moving.

Rename a database by using SQL Server Management Studio

Renaming a service application database is a two step process, first stop the service, just as if you were going to move the database. You then rename the database by using SQL Server Management Studio.

Step 3: To rename a database by using SQL Server

  1. In SQL Server Management Studio, connect to the source SQL Server instance, and then expand the Databases node.

  2. Right-click the database that you want to rename, click Rename, and then type the new name. Repeat this step for each database that you're renaming.

Point a SharePoint Server service application to a moved or renamed database

Pointing to the moved or renamed database is the next step. You can do this with either Central Administration or PowerShell. Using Central Administration to point service applications to the moved or renamed databases is the same for most of the SharePoint Server service applications. Using PowerShell to point service applications to the moved or renamed databases differs for each service application. This section provides guidance for each service application and database.

Step 5: To point the service application to a moved or renamed database by using Central Administration

  1. Use an account that is a member of the Farm Administrators SharePoint group.

  2. In Central Administration, under Application Management, click Manage service applications.

  3. On the Manage Service application page, click the empty area in the row next to the service application name. The ribbon becomes active, click Properties and the Edit Service Application dialog appears.

  4. Change the database server or database name, and then click OK.

To point the Managed Metadata service application to a moved or renamed database by using PowerShell

  1. Use an account with these memberships:

    • securityadmin fixed server role on the SQL Server instance.

    • db_owner fixed database role on all databases that are to be updated.

    • Administrators group on the server on which you are running the PowerShell cmdlets.

    Note

    For additional information about Microsoft PowerShell permissions, see Permissions.

  2. Start the SharePoint Management Shell.

  3. At the PowerShell command prompt, type the following command:

    $app = Get-SPServiceApplication -Name "<ServiceApplicationName>"
    Set-SPMetadataServiceApplication -Identity "<Name/GUID of service application>" $app -DatabaseName "<DatabaseName>" -DatabaseCredentials PSCredential object>
    

    Where:

    • <ServiceApplicationName> is the name of the Managed Metadata service application.

    • <DatabaseName> is the name of the renamed database.

To point the PerformancePoint service application to a renamed or moved database by using PowerShell

  1. Use an account with these memberships:

    • securityadmin fixed server role on the SQL Server instance.

    • db_owner fixed database role on all databases that are to be updated.

    • Administrators group on the server on which you are running the PowerShell cmdlets.

    Note

    For additional information about Microsoft PowerShell permissions, see Permissions.

  2. Start the SharePoint Management Shell.

  3. At the PowerShell command prompt, type the following command:

    Set-SPPerformancePointServiceApplication -Identity "<ServiceApplicationName>" -SettingsDatabase "<DatabaseServerName\DatabaseName>"
    

    Where:

    • <ServiceApplicationName> is the name of the PerformancePoint service application.

    • <DatabaseServerName\DatabaseName> is the location of and the name of the renamed or moved database. Do not include the location if you are just renaming the database.

The State Service database stores temporary state information data. You can use PowerShell to point the State Service service application to a moved database by performing one of the following procedures:

To add a new database to the State Service service application and remove an old database by using PowerShell

  1. Use an account with these memberships:

    • securityadmin fixed server role on the SQL Server instance.

    • db_owner fixed database role on all databases that are to be updated.

    • Administrators group on the server on which you are running the PowerShell cmdlets.

    Note

    For additional information about Microsoft PowerShell permissions, see Permissions.

  2. Start the SharePoint Management Shell.

  3. At the PowerShell command prompt, type the following command to create a new database:

    New-SPStateServiceDatabase -Name "<NewDatabaseName>"
    

    Then type the following command to remove the old database:

    Remove-SPStateServiceDatabase -Name "<OldDatabaseName>"
    

    Where:

    • <NewDatabaseName> is the name of the new database that you want to create.

    • <OldDatabaseName> is the name of the old database that you want to disassociate with the State service and detach from SQL Server.

To point the State Service service application to a moved database by using PowerShell

  1. Start the SharePoint Management Shell.

  2. At the PowerShell command prompt, type the following command to dismount the database:

    Dismount-SPStateServiceDatabase -Identity <DatabaseID>
    

    Where <DatabaseID> is the State Service database to remove from the service application. The type must be a valid GUID in the form 12345678-90ab-cdef-1234-567890bcdefgh, a valid name of a state database, or an instance of a valid SPStateServiceDatabase object.

    For more information, see Dismount-SPStateServiceDatabase.

  3. Move the database. For details, see Move a database by using SQL Server Management Studio and File Explorer.

  4. At the PowerShell command prompt, type the following command to mount the renamed or moved database:

    Mount-SPStateServiceDatabase -Name "<DatabaseName>" -DatabaseServer "<ServerName>"
    

    Where:

    • <DatabaseName> is the name of the database to associate with the State service.

    • <ServerName> is the name of the SQL Server that hosts the State service database.

To point the Usage and Health data collection service application to a moved database by using PowerShell

  1. Use an account with these memberships:

    • securityadmin fixed server role on the SQL Server instance.

    • db_owner fixed database role on all databases that are to be updated.

    • Administrators group on the server on which you are running the PowerShell cmdlets.

    Note

    For additional information about Microsoft PowerShell permissions, see Permissions.

  2. Start the SharePoint Management Shell.

  3. At the PowerShell command prompt, type the following command:

    Set-SPUsageApplication -Identity "<ServiceApplicationName>" -DatabaseName "<DbName>" -DatabaseServer "<SQLServerName>"
    

    Where:

    • <ServiceApplicationName> is the name of the usage and health data collection service application.

    • <DatabaseName> is the name of the database.

    • <SQLServerName> is the name of the database server.

To point the Word Automation service application to a renamed or moved database by using PowerShell

  1. Use an account with these memberships:

    • securityadmin fixed server role on the SQL Server instance.

    • db_owner fixed database role on all databases that are to be updated.

    • Administrators group on the server on which you are running the PowerShell cmdlets.

    Note

    For additional information about Microsoft PowerShell permissions, see Permissions.

  2. Start the SharePoint Management Shell.

  3. At the PowerShell command prompt, type the following command:

    $app = Get-SPServiceApplication -Name "<ServiceApplicationName>"
    Set-SPWordConversionServiceApplication -Identity $app -DatabaseName "<DatabaseName>" -DatabaseServer "<DatabaseServer>"
    

    Where:

    • <ServiceApplicationName> is the name of the Word Automation service application.

    • <DatabaseName> is the name of the renamed or moved database.

    • <DatabaseServer> is the location of the renamed or moved database. Do not include this parameter if you are pointing to a renamed database in the same location.

To point the Subscription Settings Services service application to a moved database by using PowerShell

  1. Use an account with these memberships:

    • securityadmin fixed server role on the SQL Server instance.

    • db_owner fixed database role on all databases that are to be updated.

    • Administrators group on the server on which you are running the PowerShell cmdlets.

    Note

    For additional information about Microsoft PowerShell permissions, see Permissions.

  2. Start the SharePoint Management Shell.

  3. At the PowerShell command prompt, type the following command:

    Set-SPSubscriptionSettingsServiceApplication -Identity "<ServiceApplicationName>" -DatabaseName "<DatabaseName>" -DatabaseServer "<DatabaseServer>"
    

    Where:

    • <ServiceApplicationName> is the name of the Subscription Settings service application.

    • <DatabaseName> is the name of the renamed database.

    • <DatabaseServer> is the name of the renamed database.

Step 6: To start the service application by using Central Administration

  1. Use an account that is a member of the Farm Administrators SharePoint group.

  2. In Central Administration click System Settings.

  3. On the System Settings page, in the Servers section, click Manage services on server.

  4. Find the service application that you want and click Start in the Action column for the service, and then click OK.

Steps to move or rename the Business Data Connectivity Service and User Profile Service application databases

When moving or renaming the Business Data Connectivity service application and User Profile service application databases requires extra steps. The extra steps required for both service application databases is that after you move or rename the databases we recommend that you delete the service application and then re-create it.

The following procedures show how to move or delete the Business Data Connectivity service application.

To stop the Business Data Connectivity service application

  1. Use an account that is a member of the Farm Administrators SharePoint group.

  2. In Central Administration click System Settings.

  3. On the System Settings page, in the Servers section, click Manage services on server.

  4. Find the service application that you want to stop, click Stop or Disable in the Action column for the service, and then click OK.

To stop a service by using PowerShell

  1. Start the SharePoint Management Shell.

  2. At the PowerShell command prompt, type the following command:

    Stop-SPServiceInstance -Identity <ServiceGUID>
    

    Where <ServiceGUID> is the GUID of the service. If you don't know the service GUID, you can retrieve a list of all services in the farm together with their GUIDs by using the Get-SPServiceInstance cmdlet.

    For more information, see Stop-SPServiceInstance and Get-SPServiceInstance.

Step 2: To detach a database from SQL Server

  1. Use an account that has the db_owner fixed database role for all of the databases that you're moving.

  2. In SQL Server Management Studio, connect to the source SQL Server instance, and then expand the Databases node.

  3. Right-click the database, point to Tasks, and then click Detach. Repeat this step for each database that you want to move.

Step 3: To move the database files to a new location by using File Explorer or Windows Explorer

  1. Use an account that has read permission on the source location and write permission on the target location.

  2. In File Explorer, find the .mdf, .ndf, and .ldf files for the service application databases and select the ones you want to move. The database files are typically found here, C:\Program Files\Microsoft SQL Server\MSSQL12.MSSQLServer\MSSQL\Data

  3. Either copy or move the database files to the new location.

Step 4: To attach a database to a new instance of SQL Server

  1. Use an account that has the db_owner fixed database role for all of the databases that you're moving.

  2. In SQL Server Management Studio, open the destination SQL Server instance.

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

  4. In the Attach Database dialog, browse to where you moved the .mdf, .ndf, and .ldf files, select the .mdf file for the database that you want to attach, and then click OK. Repeat this step for each database that you're moving.

Point the Business Data Connectivity service application to a moved database

The method for pointing a service application to a moved database that works for most service applications is to delete the service application and then re-create the service application. When you re-create the service application, use the new name or new location.

To document service application settings

Before you delete and re-create a service application, document the settings for the service application. To do this, use the recommended PowerShell cmdlets that are described in the article Document farm configuration settings in SharePoint Server.

To delete the service application by using Central Administration

  1. Use an account that is a member of the Farm Administrators SharePoint group.

  2. In Central Administration, click Application Management, and then, click Manage service applications.

  3. On the Service Applications page, place your cursor next to Business Data Connectivity service and then click the empty row.

    The ribbon becomes active.

  4. On the ribbon, click Delete.

  5. In the Delete Service Application dialog, select the check box next to Delete data associated with the Service Applications if you want to delete the service application database. If you want to retain the database, leave this check box cleared.

  6. Click OK to delete the service application, or click Cancel to stop the operation.

To create the service application

To create a Business Data Connectivity service application, follow the procedure in Configure a Business Data Connectivity service application in SharePoint Server.

To start the service application

  1. To start a service application, see Start or stop a service in SharePoint Server.

Steps to move or rename the Search Service application databases in SharePoint Server 2013 and SharePoint Server 2016

To move the Search service application databases, you must use SQL Server, SQL Server Management Studio, and Windows Explorer. To point to the moved databases, you must use PowerShell. Complete the following steps in the listed order.

Important:

The account, or accounts, that you use to do the operations must have these memberships and permissions:

  • Member of the Farm Administrators SharePoint group.

  • Member of the Administrators group on the local server.

  • Read permission on the source location and write permission on the target location.

  • db_owner fixed database role for all of the databases that you are moving.

  • db_creator and securityadmin roles for all of the databases that you are moving.

The Search Service account must have the following roles:

  • db_owner fixed database role on the Administration, Link, and Crawl databases.

  • SPSearchDBAdmin database role on the Analytics Reporting database.

In some environments, you must coordinate the rename and move procedures with the database administrator. Be sure to follow applicable policies and guidelines for managing databases.

To pause the Search service application by using PowerShell

  1. Start the SharePoint Management Shell.

  2. At the PowerShell command prompt, type the following command:

    $ssa = Get-SPEnterpriseSearchServiceApplication <SearchServiceApplicationName>
    Suspend-SPEnterpriseSearchServiceApplication -Identity $ssa
    

    Where <SearchServiceApplicationName> is the name of the Search service application associated with the database move.

To change the read-only mode for Search service application databases

  1. Use an account that is a member of the db_owner fixed database role for the content database.

  2. Open SQL Server Management Studio and connect to the database server.

  3. In Object Explorer, expand Databases.

  4. Set the following databases to read-only mode:

    • Search Administration

    • Analytics Reporting

    • Crawl

    • Link

    • Right-click the database that you want to set to read/write or read-only, and then click Properties.

    • In the Database Properties dialog, on the Options properties page, in the State section, select True or False in the list next to Database Read-Only, and then click OK.

    • Click Yes.

To back up the Search service application databases

  1. Use an account that is a member of the SQL Server db_backupoperator fixed database role on the database server where each database is stored.

  2. Start SQL Server Management Studio and connect to the database server where the Search service application databases are stored.

  3. In Object Explorer, expand Databases.

  4. Right-click the database that you want to back up, point to Tasks, and then click Back Up.

  5. In the Back Up Database dialog, in the Source area, select the kind of backup that you want to perform from the Backup type list.

    For more information about the type of backup to use, see Recovery Models (SQL Server).

  6. In the Backup component area, click Database.

  7. Either use the default name or specify a name for the backup set in the Name box.

  8. Specify the expiration date for the backup set.

    This date determines when the backup set can be overwritten by subsequent backups that have the same name. By default, the backup set is set to never expire (0 days).

  9. In the Destination area, specify where you want to store the backup.

  10. Click OK to back up the database.

  11. Repeat steps 1-10 for the following databases:

    • Search Administration

    • Analytics Reporting

    • Crawl

    • Link

To set the value of max degree of parallelism to 1 in the new server that hosts SQL Server

  1. Start SQL Server Management Studio and connect to the new server that hosts SQL Server where you'll move the Search service application databases.

  2. In Object Explorer, right-click the database server and then click Properties.

  3. Click Advanced.

  4. In the Max Degree of Parallelism box, select 1 to limit the number of processors to use in parallel plan execution.

    For more information, see Configure the max degree of parallelism Server Configuration Option.

To restore the Search service application databases to a new database server

  1. Use an account that is a member of the SQL Server sysadmin fixed server role on the database server where each database is stored.

  2. Start SQL Server Management Studio and connect to the database server.

  3. In Object Explorer, expand Databases.

  4. Right-click the database that you want to restore, point to Tasks, point to Restore, and then click Database.

  5. In the Restore Database dialog, on the General page, select the database to restore to from the To database list.

  6. Select the restore source from the From database list.

  7. In the Select the backup sets to restore section area, select the check box next to the database.

  8. On the Options tab, select the recovery state from the Recover state section.

    For more information about which recovery type to use, see Recovery Models (SQL Server) in SQL Server Books Online.

  9. Click OK to restore the database.

  10. Repeat steps 1-9 for each database that is associated with the service application.

To set the Search service application databases to read/write

  1. Follow the steps in To change the read-only mode for Search service application databases.

To point the Search service application to moved databases by using PowerShell

  1. Start the SharePoint Management Shell.

  2. Point the Search Service Application database to the new location. At the PowerShell command prompt, type the following commands:

    $ssa = Get-SPEnterpriseSearchServiceApplication <SearchServiceApplicationName>
    $ssa | Set-SPEnterpriseSearchServiceApplication [-DatabaseName "<NewDbName>"] -DatabaseServer "<NewServerName>"
    

    Where:

    • <NewDbName> is the name of the database.

    • <NewServerName> is the new database location.

  3. Point the Analytics Reporting database to the new location. At the PowerShell command prompt, type the following commands:

    Add-SPServerScaleOutDatabase -ServiceApplication $ssa -DatabaseServer <OriginalServerName> [-DatabaseName <NewDbName>]
    $temp = Get-SPServerScaleOutDatabase -ServiceApplication $ssa
    Remove-SPServerScaleOutDatabase -Database $temp[0] -ServiceApplication $ssa
    

    Where:

    • <OriginalServerName> is the name of the original SQL server.
  4. Point the CrawlStore database to the new location. At the PowerShell command prompt, type the following commands:

    $CrawlDatabase0 = ([array]($ssa | Get-SPEnterpriseSearchCrawlDatabase))[0]
    $CrawlDatabase0 | Set-SPEnterpriseSearchCrawlDatabase [-DatabaseName "<NewDbName>"] -DatabaseServer "<NewServerName>"
    
  5. Point the LinkStore database to the new location. At the PowerShell command prompt, type the following commands:

    $LinksDatabase0 = ([array]($ssa | Get-SPEnterpriseSearchLinksDatabase))[0]
    $LinksDatabase0 | Set-SPEnterpriseSearchLinksDatabase [-DatabaseName "<NewDbName>"] -DatabaseServer "<NewServerName>"
    
  6. Set all Search service instances to Online. Run the following commands for each search service in the farm, until the Search service instance is reported as Online. At the PowerShell command prompt, type the following commands:

    Get-SPEnterpriseSearchServiceInstance -Identity <Search Server> Do {write-host -NoNewline .;Sleep 10; $searchInstance = Get-SPEnterpriseSearchServiceInstance -Identity <Search Server>} while ($searchInstance.Status -ne "Online")
    

    Where <Search Server> is the name of the server that hosts the search components.

  7. Resume the Search service application. At the PowerShell command prompt, type the following commands:

    $ssa = Get-SPEnterpriseSearchServiceApplication <SearchServiceApplicationName>
    Resume-SPEnterpriseSearchServiceApplication -Identity $ssa
    

    Where <SearchServiceApplicationName> is the name of the Search service application associated with the database move.

  8. Restart each server that hosts a search component.

Steps to move or rename the Search Service application databases in SharePoint Server 2019

To move the Search service application databases, you must use SQL Server, SQL Server Management Studio, and Windows Explorer. To point to the moved databases, you must use PowerShell. Complete the following steps in the listed order.

Important:

The account, or accounts, that you use to do the operations must have these memberships and permissions:

  • Member of the Farm Administrators SharePoint group.

  • Member of the Administrators group on the local server.

  • Read permission on the source location and write permission on the target location.

  • db_owner fixed database role for all of the databases that you are moving.

  • db_creator and securityadmin roles for all of the databases that you are moving.

The Search Service account must have the following roles:

  • db_owner fixed database role on the Administration, Link, and Crawl databases.

  • SPSearchDBAdmin database role on the Analytics Reporting database.

In some environments, you must coordinate the rename and move procedures with the database administrator. Be sure to follow applicable policies and guidelines for managing databases.

To pause the Search service application by using PowerShell

  1. Start the SharePoint Management Shell.

  2. At the PowerShell command prompt, type the following command:

    $ssa = Get-SPEnterpriseSearchServiceApplication <SearchServiceApplicationName>
    Suspend-SPEnterpriseSearchServiceApplication -Identity $ssa
    

    Where <SearchServiceApplicationName> is the name of the Search service application associated with the database move.

To change the read-only mode for Search service application databases

  1. Use an account that is a member of the db_owner fixed database role for the content database.

  2. Open SQL Server Management Studio and connect to the database server.

  3. In Object Explorer, expand Databases.

  4. Set the following databases to read-only mode:

    • Search Administration

    • Analytics Reporting

    • Crawl

    • Link

    • Right-click the database that you want to set to read/write or read-only, and then click Properties.

    • In the Database Properties dialog, on the Options properties page, in the State section, select True or False in the list next to Database Read-Only, and then click OK.

    • Click Yes.

To back up the Search service application databases

  1. Use an account that is a member of the SQL Server db_backupoperator fixed database role on the database server where each database is stored.

  2. Start SQL Server Management Studio and connect to the database server where the Search service application databases are stored.

  3. In Object Explorer, expand Databases.

  4. Right-click the database that you want to back up, point to Tasks, and then click Back Up.

  5. In the Back Up Database dialog, in the Source area, select the kind of backup that you want to perform from the Backup type list.

    For more information about the type of backup to use, see Recovery Models (SQL Server).

  6. In the Backup component area, click Database.

  7. Either use the default name or specify a name for the backup set in the Name box.

  8. Specify the expiration date for the backup set.

    This date determines when the backup set can be overwritten by subsequent backups that have the same name. By default, the backup set is set to never expire (0 days).

  9. In the Destination area, specify where you want to store the backup.

  10. Click OK to back up the database.

  11. Repeat steps 1-10 for the following databases:

    • Search Administration

    • Analytics Reporting

    • Crawl

    • Link

To set the value of max degree of parallelism to 1 in the new server that hosts SQL Server

  1. Start SQL Server Management Studio and connect to the new server that hosts SQL Server where you'll move the Search service application databases.

  2. In Object Explorer, right-click the database server and then click Properties.

  3. Click Advanced.

  4. In the Max Degree of Parallelism box, select 1 to limit the number of processors to use in parallel plan execution.

    For more information, see Configure the max degree of parallelism Server Configuration Option.

To restore the Search service application databases to a new database server

  1. Use an account that is a member of the SQL Server sysadmin fixed server role on the database server where each database is stored.

  2. Start SQL Server Management Studio and connect to the database server.

  3. In Object Explorer, expand Databases.

  4. Right-click the database that you want to restore, point to Tasks, point to Restore, and then click Database.

  5. In the Restore Database dialog, on the General page, select the database to restore to from the To database list.

  6. Select the restore source from the From database list.

  7. In the Select the backup sets to restore section area, select the check box next to the database.

  8. On the Options tab, select the recovery state from the Recover state section.

    For more information about which recovery type to use, see Recovery Models (SQL Server) in SQL Server Books Online.

  9. Click OK to restore the database.

  10. Repeat steps 1-9 for each database that is associated with the service application.

To set the Search service application databases to read/write

  1. Follow the steps in To change the read-only mode for Search service application databases.

To point the Search service application to moved databases by using PowerShell

  1. Start the SharePoint Management Shell.

    Note

    These instructions assume you will use the same PowerShell session for all commands.

  2. At the PowerShell command prompt, type the following command to associate the Search Administration database with the Search service.

     $ssa = Get-SPEnterpriseSearchServiceApplication <SearchServiceApplication>
     $ssa | Set-SPEnterpriseSearchServiceApplication -DatabaseName <SearchAdministrationServiceDatabase> -DatabaseServer <SearchServiceDatabaseServer>
    

    Where:

    • <SearchServiceApplication> is the name of the Search service application associated with the database.

    • <SearchAdministrationServiceDatabase> is the name of the Search service application Administration database.

    • <SearchServiceDatabaseServer> is the name of the new databse server hosting the Search service application databases.

  3. At the PowerShell command prompt, type the following command to associate the Search Analytics database with the Search service.

    Add-SPServerScaleOutDatabase -ServiceApplication $ssa -DatabaseServer <SearchServiceDatabaseServer> -DatabaseName <SearchServiceAnalyticsDatabase>
    $temp = Get-SPServerScaleOutDatabase -ServiceApplication $ssa
    Remove-SPServerScaleOutDatabase -ServiceApplication $ssa -Database $temp[0]
    

    Where:

    • <SearchServiceAnalyticsDatabase> is the name of the Search service application Analytics database.

    • <SearchServiceDatabaseServer> is the name of the new databse server hosting the Search service application databases.

  4. At the PowerShell command prompt, type the following command to associate the Search Crawl database with the Search service.

    New-SPEnterpriseSearchCrawlDatabase -SearchApplication $ssa -DatabaseName <SearchServiceCrawlDatabase> -DatabaseServer <SearchServiceDatabaseServer>
    $crawlDBToDelete = $ssa | Get-SPEnterpriseSearchCrawlDatabase -Identity "<OldCrawlStoreDatabase>"
    Remove-SPEnterpriseSearchCrawlDatabase -Identity $crawlDBToDelete
    

    Where:

    • <SearchServiceCrawlDatabase> is the name of the Search service application Crawl database.

    • <SearchServiceDatabaseServer> is the name of the new databse server hosting the Search service application databases.

    • <OldCrawlStoreDatabase> is the name of the old Search service application Crawl database.

  5. At the PowerShell command prompt, type the following command to associate the Search Links database with the Search service.

    New-SPEnterpriseSearchLinksDatabase -DatabaseName <SearchServiceLinksDatabase> -SearchApplication $ssa -DatabaseServer <SearchServiceDatabaseServer>
    $oldLinksStoreDB = ([array]($ssa | Get-SPEnterpriseSearchLinksDatabase))[0]
    $newLinksStoreDB = ([array]($ssa | Get-SPEnterpriseSearchLinksDatabase))[1]
    Move-SPEnterpriseSearchLinksDatabases -SearchApplication $ssa -TargetStores @($newLinksStoreDB) -Confirm:$false
    

    Where:

    • <SearchServiceLinksDatabase> is the name of the Search service application Links database.

    • <SearchServiceDatabaseServer> is the name of the new database server hosting the Search service application databases.

  6. At the PowerShell command prompt, type the following command to resume the Search Service application.

    Resume-SPEnterpriseSearchServiceApplication -Identity $ssa
    
  7. At the PowerShell command prompt, type the following command to remove the old Search Links database from the Search service.

    Remove-SPEnterpriseSearchLinksDatabase -Identity $oldLinksStoreDB -SearchApplication $ssa -Confirm:$false
    

    Where:

    • $oldLinksStoreDB is the variable from step 5.

See also

Concepts

Move all databases in SharePoint Server