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Lesson 2: Deploying a Data-tier Application

In this lesson, you will configure the SQL Server Utility, and then use the data-tier application (DAC) package you created in the previous lesson to deploy the DAC to your test instance of the Database Engine.

Procedures

Configure the SQL Server Utility

  1. Open SQL Server Management Studio and connect to the server operating as the utility control point (UCP). The UCP should now be the first node in the Object Explorer pane.

  2. At the top of the Object Explorer pane, select Connect, and then select Database Engine. Connect to the test instance where you will deploy the data-tier applications.

  3. On the View menu, select Object Explorer Details.

  4. On the View menu, select Utility Explorer.

  5. On the View menu, select Utility Explorer Details.

  6. On the Utility Explorer tab, select the Connect to Utility icon. Connect to the UCP.

  7. In the Utility Explorer tree, select the Managed Instances node. If the test instance is not listed, enroll it in the SQL Server Utility. For more information, see How to: Enroll an Instance of SQL Server (SQL Server Utility).

Deploying the DAC

  1. In the SQL Server Management Studio Object Explorer pane, navigate to the node for the test instance where you want to deploy the DAC, and then open the Management node under that instance. Right-click the Data-tier Applications node, and select Deploy Data-tier Application….

  2. Review the information on the Introduction page, and then select Next.

  3. On the Select Package page, select the Browse button to specify the DAC package file. The file open dialog opens to the default location for DAC package files. Navigate to the folder to which you saved the SampleDAC.dacpac file from the previous lesson.

  4. Select the SampleDAC.dacpac file and select Open. After selecting the DAC package file, the DAC details section has a read-only display of the information you specified in the DAC project in Visual Studio.

  5. Click Next to proceed.

  6. The Select Package page displays a progress bar as it validates the contents of the DAC package. When the validation completes you are taken to the Review Policy page.

  7. The Review Policy page reports the results of evaluating the IsCaseSensitive policy against the instance you selected. If the evaluation failed, you can select the Ignore policy violations check box to proceed with this deployment. Click Next to proceed to the Update Configuration page.

    1. Observe the settings on the Update Configuration page, then click Next to proceed.

  8. On the Summary page, review the settings that will be used to deploy the DAC, and then click Next.

  9. The wizard stores the DAC definition in the msdb database, creates the SampleDAC database, and then creates all of the database objects from the DAC. Review the Deploy DAC page to ensure all of the deployment actions were successful. Select Finish to terminate the wizard.

  10. Right-click on the node for the test instance and select Refresh. The SampleDAC should now appear under the Databases node, and the SampleDAC should appear under the Data-tier Applications node.

Next Steps

You have successfully deployed a DAC. Next, you will view the properties and resource utilization of the DAC instance using Management Studio. See Lesson 3: Monitoring a Data-tier Application.