asked on

How do I transfer a database, from a Production Server to a Staging/Development Server?

Hi there.

What is the easiest, simplest, and most secure way to tranfer one database, from a Production server, to the same database name on a Staging server?

It must be automated - so I can schedule it for 3am daily, and also click "Go" and run it on the fly.
It must also leave the Source (Production) available as this is a 24x7 environment.

My first thought, upon opening SSIS, was to use the "Transfer Database Task". But that is getting all weird on me. I cannot specify or create "DestinationDatabaseFiles" at all, and when I hit "OK" with what I have, the red-X circle is still on the task, complaining that "At least one source file must be specified". But there are 2 source files listed. So what is going on.

Thank you greatly.

Alexey_Varlamov

The most common solution for your task is a "Database Mirroring" - http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms189852.aspx. It is a process of backuping and restorig a database periodically

The more advanced solution is a "Log Shipping" for near realtime mirroring: http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms188698.aspx

jasonwisdom

ASKER

Is there an SSIS solution... does Transfer Database Task actually work, or no?

Also, Log Shipping is not realtime, it's only as often as transaction logs are created - yes?

jasonwisdom

ASKER

The other thing is that we'll need automatic as well as manual capabilities.
In other words, Staging will probably restore on a daily basis.
Development needs to restore "on demand" - so it might be today, then 3 weeks from today, then 2 months after that. Purely on a "by request" basis because Development is, well, being developed.

Éric Moreau

I use a backup and restore. It is fast and it is working like a charm.

jasonwisdom

ASKER

Is there a way to make a Backup & Restore a 1-click operation?
I just want to click a single button, or right-click something and say Go, and have it be done.
The destination has its own file names, its own logical file names, etc. So it has to be able to work with that.

That's why I like Integration Services. But how can I get the Transfer Database Task to work?

Éric Moreau

You can script everything and save it in a stored proc to run it easily or schedule it.

jasonwisdom

ASKER

Do you have an example of this script, and how would I create such a script?

Éric Moreau

This is a script I run on my laptop to backup a database on a server, copy the bak file to my laptop and restore the backup (I even rename the current database on my laptop to keep a copy).


SET NOCOUNT ON
 
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--
-- These variables will become parameters
--
 
DECLARE @DBName VARCHAR(100)
SET @DBName = 'Pubs'
 
SELECT Getdate() AS 'Start time'
 
 
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--
-- Constantes
--
 
--Répertoire contenant les fichiers de data sur le serveur destination
DECLARE @SQLDataPath VARCHAR(100)
SET @SQLDataPath = 'C:\_Data\SQL2005\MSSQL.1\MSSQL\Data\'
 
--Paramètre du serveur hôte (source)
DECLARE @SourceServerName VARCHAR(100)
SET @SourceServerName = 'YourServerNameHere'
 
DECLARE @SourceServerUID VARCHAR(100)
SET @SourceServerUID = 'YourServerUIDHere'
 
DECLARE @SourceServerPWD VARCHAR(100)
SET @SourceServerPWD = 'YourServerPWDHere'
 
--NET USE parameters
DECLARE @NetUseParams VARCHAR(200)
SET @NetUseParams = '"\\ServerName\ShareNameWhereTheBackupIs" NetUsePWD /user:NetUseUser'
 
 
--Path des fichiers d'origine pour la copie du backup
--(dans notre cas c'est Z parce qu'un drive sera mappé dans le script
DECLARE @SourcePath VARCHAR(100)
SET @SourcePath = 'R:'
 
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--
-- Variables
--
 
 
--Contiendra le path complet ou le backup sera copié
DECLARE @BCKDestPath VARCHAR(1000)
--Contiendra le physical_device_name du backup source (path complet du fichier de backup)
DECLARE @BCKSourcePath VARCHAR(1000)
--Utiliser pour conserver l'état des commandes EXEC
DECLARE @result INT
--Contiendra différentes requêtes SQL
DECLARE @Query nVARCHAR(4000)
--Contiendra différentes commandes à être exécutées par EXEC
DECLARE @cmd VARCHAR(1000)
--Variables utilisées pour le KILL des sessions
DECLARE @SPID AS NVARCHAR(4)
DECLARE @KillCommand AS NVARCHAR(255)
 
DECLARE @TimeStamp AS VARCHAR(20)
SET @TimeStamp = REPLACE(REPLACE(REPLACE(convert(CHAR(20), GetDate(), 120), '-', ''), ':', ''), ' ', '')
 
--Variables utilisées pour les noms de fichiers (physique et logique) lors du restore
DECLARE @PhysicalData AS VARCHAR(250)
DECLARE @PhysicalLog AS VARCHAR(250)
DECLARE @LogicalData AS VARCHAR(250)
DECLARE @LogicalLog AS VARCHAR(250)
 
 
 
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-- STEP 1
--
-- Prend les fichiers en backup sur le serveur de production
--
 
SET @Query = 'DRIVER={SQL Server};SERVER=' + @SourceServerName + ';UID=' + @SourceServerUID + ';PWD=' + @SourceServerPWD + ';'
 
EXEC sp_addlinkedserver 
   @server = 'Linked_Server', 
   @srvproduct = '',
   @provider = 'MSDASQL',
   @provstr = @Query
 
execute sp_serveroption 'Linked_Server','rpc','true'
 
execute sp_serveroption 'Linked_Server','rpc out','true'
 
EXEC  Linked_Server.master.dbo.emoreau_BackupDB @DBName
 
exec sp_dropserver 'Linked_Server'
 
 
 
 
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-- STEP 2
--
-- Copie du fichier de backup
--
 
SET  @BCKSourcePath = @SourcePath + '\zzEMoreau.bak'
 
SET @cmd = 'net use ' + @SourcePath + ' ' + @NetUseParams
 
select @bcksourcepath, @cmd
 
EXEC @result = master..xp_cmdshell @cmd, NO_OUTPUT
IF (@result = 0)
        PRINT 'NET USE = Success'
ELSE
BEGIN
        PRINT 'NET USE = Failure'
        RAISERROR('Impossible de mapper le drive ',1,1)
        GOTO finish
END
 
 
 
 
SET @BCKDestPath = 'c:\temp\' + @DBName + @TimeStamp + '.BAK'
 
SET @cmd = 'copy "' + @BCKSourcePath + '" "' + @BCKDestPath + '"'
 
 
EXEC @result = master..xp_cmdshell @cmd, NO_OUTPUT
IF (@result = 0)
        PRINT 'Copy backup = Success'
ELSE
BEGIN
        PRINT 'Copy backup = Failure'
        RAISERROR('Copy backup = Failure',1,1)
        GOTO finish
END
 
 
SET @cmd = 'net use ' + @SourcePath + ' /delete'
EXEC @result = master..xp_cmdshell @cmd, NO_OUTPUT
IF (@result = 0)
        PRINT 'NET USE /DELETE = Success'
ELSE
BEGIN
        PRINT 'NET USE /DELETE = Failure'
        RAISERROR('Impossible de démapper le drive ',1,1)
        GOTO finish
END
 
 
 
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-- STEP 3
--
-- Restore database
--
 
PRINT ' --- RENAMING THE CURRENT DATABASE --- '
 
declare @DBNameZZ VARCHAR(20)
set @DBNameZZ = 'zz' + @DBName 
 
IF EXISTS (SELECT * 
	   FROM   master..sysdatabases 
	   WHERE  name = @DBNameZZ)
	BEGIN
		PRINT @DBNameZZ + ' is existing'
		SET @cmd = 'DROP DATABASE ' + @DBNameZZ
		exec (@cmd)
	END
ELSE
	BEGIN
		PRINT @DBNameZZ + ' does not exist'
	END
 
IF EXISTS (SELECT * 
	   FROM   master..sysdatabases 
	   WHERE  name = @DBName)
	BEGIN
		SET @cmd = 'sp_RenameDB ' + @DBName + ', ' + @DBNameZZ
		exec (@cmd)
 
	END
 
PRINT ' --- TRYING TO SET EXCLUSIVE ACCESS TO THE DATABASE --- '
 
--Kill all users in Destination Database except system users
 
while (select count(*) from sysprocesses pc
inner join sysdatabases sd on pc.dbid=sd.dbid
where 
pc.spid<>@@SPID and sd.name=@DBName)<>0
BEGIN
        set @spid=(select top 1 pc.spid from sysprocesses pc
        inner join sysdatabases sd on pc.dbid=sd.dbid
        where 
	pc.spid<>@@SPID and sd.name=@DBName)
        set @killcommand='kill ' + @spid
        exec(@killcommand)
END
 
PRINT ' --- READY TO RESTORE --- '
 
 
SET @PhysicalData = @SQLDataPath + @DBName + '_Data' + @TimeStamp + '.mdf'
SET @PhysicalLog = @SQLDataPath + @DBName + '_Log' + @TimeStamp + '.ldf'
 
 
                SET @LogicalData = @DBName
                SET @LogicalLog  = @DBName
 
 
 
RESTORE FILELISTONLY
      FROM DISK = @BCKDestPath
 
 
RESTORE DATABASE @DBName
        FROM DISK = @BCKDestPath
        WITH REPLACE, RECOVERY,
        MOVE @LogicalData TO @PhysicalData,
        MOVE @LogicalLog TO @PhysicalLog
 
 
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
 
finish:
 
SELECT Getdate() AS 'End time'
 
SET NOCOUNT OFF
GO

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jasonwisdom

ASKER

Thank you emareou, let me check it out hopefully tomorrow. If this (or close to this) does the trick then the points are yours.

jasonwisdom

ASKER

Thank you emoreau for sharing your script, and my apologies for taking so long to get around to checking it out.

I can't use this. It creates then drops linked servers, and it also uses xp_cmdshell - a big security no-no in this environment.

I just want to back up a database to a file, on a shared network drive,
and restore that backup file to another server.

It should only be two scripts. Right?

ASKER CERTIFIED SOLUTION

Éric Moreau

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jasonwisdom

ASKER

Or I can put both scripts into a Maintenance Plan or SSIS package or Job and execute the first then second.

Éric Moreau

if the 2 servers are not linked, how will you launch one process from the other server?

jasonwisdom

ASKER

To resolve this issue,
we created a Job. It runs a batch file as CmdExec. the batch file can run Backup database and Restore database on 2 different servers.
This is one step better than xp_cmdshell...still not my optimal solution - I would have like to have an SSIS package or Maintenance Plan that could do the trick all at once, without needing Linked Servers or OS-level executables.

Emoreau I'll give you credit for answering this - you didn't directly lead me to resolution so I'm giving you a "B". You did help me as much as anybody, though...thank you.

jasonwisdom

ASKER

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