SQL Server Migration Assistant

SQL Server is a premier relational database management system and the fastest growing database on the market. With its low total cost of ownership, ease of management, robust security and enterprise class scalability, availability and reliability SQL Server is designed to help organizations of any size address the data challenges of today. However, many organizations are still running their applications on other databases due to the cost and complexity of migrating these databases to SQL Server. To address this challenge Microsoft is releasing a new tool to make migration to SQL Server easier. Microsoft SQL Server Migration Assistant (SSMA) enables customers to migrate their applications from other databases to SQL Server easily and in a predictable manner. SSMA automates almost every aspect of database migration. As a result, the time, cost, and risks associated with migrating to SQL Server are greatly reduced. With SQL Server Migration Assistant customers do not have to be locked into an expensive database. database. Typically, an assessment will take less than a day to complete. The tool provides an estimate of the labor required to migrate the database manually, as well as the percentage of the database that can be converted automatically. The Migration Analyzer computes approximately 100 specic statistics that comprehensively characterize the database. The SSMA SQL Converter typically converts over 90% of the SQL code, automatically. In addition to the comprehensive prole of the Oracle database, the assessment report indicates the database objects that the SSMA SQL Converter cant convert together with the specic constructs in the code that cause the problem.

Migration Analyzer evaluates the complexity of the migration project. Schema & Data Migrator and SQL Converter performs database conversion and provides a powerful IDE for cross-platform database developers. Migration Tester provides automated validation of the migration process.

The initial release of SSMA addresses migrations from Oracle (versions 7.3, 8, 8i,9i and 10g) to Microsoft SQL Server 2000. The system requirements for SSMA include Microsoft Windows XP or Windows Server Enterprise Edition and 1 GB RAM. Below are the phases involved in migrating your application from Oracle to SQL Server. Assessment Phase The rst step in migrating of databases from Oracle to SQL Server is to assess the difculty, time and cost of the migration. While there is no formal measure of database complexity, a database will be increasingly complex and costly to migrate the more business logic objects (stored procedures, functions, triggers, packages, etc.) it contains. Adding to the migration complexity are system function differences between the two platforms. Functions provided on one platform may not be provided on the other, or there may be syntactic or semantic differences in the implementation of common functions. Fortunately, the new migration assessment tool, SSMA Migration Analyzer, performs a deep analysis to obtain estimates of the time and effort required to migrate a

Migration Assessment Report Schema Conversion The schema is the basis for dening the target database. In migrating from Oracle to SQL Server, the new schema can be derived in a fairly straight forward manner from the original schema. Because of feature differences between the two platforms, the mapping between the schemas may not be one to one. The Schema Migrator automatically converts an Oracle database schema

SSMA Migration Process SQL Server Migration Assistant consists of the following major components:

(tables, constraints, indexes) to a Microsoft SQL Server schema.

Schema and Data Migrator Data Migration After the schema is converted, the data can be migrated. The Data Migrator tool physically moves data from Oracle to SQL Server. Data can be migrated on a per table basis, one by one, or all selected tables at once. When data migration requires complex transformations the SQL Server Data Transformation Services (DTS) can be used. Business Logic Conversion As noted above, the complexity of a database from a migration perspective is a function of the number of business logic objects it contains, the size of

those objects, and the particular language features used to implement them. Additional complexity derives from differences in the system function libraries provided in the two platforms. For example there is no one-to-one mapping between Oracles stored procedure language, PL/SQL and Transact-SQL (T-SQL), the stored procedure language of SQL Server. Furthermore there are many syntactic and semantic differences between the two languages. To migrate a PL/SQL object that uses a feature that has no T-SQL counterpart, SSMA emulates the feature using existing T-SQL features. Powerful emulation capabilities are among the key SSMA technologies that greatly simplify migration. Validation, Integration, and Performance Analysis The Migration Tester addresses the need for testing as well as enables the user to follow the automated migration process. After the PL/SQL code has been converted, this tool allows the user to easily browse through the code and to nd the corresponding code structures. One simply clicks on the colored component in one window to

see the corresponding converted component in the second window. The gure below shows how this correspondence is presented by using color-coded stripes.

Migration Tester After some objects are converted, the workspace can be synchronized with both the source and the target databases. Additional Information SQL Server is part of the Windows Server System -- a comprehensive and integrated server infrastructure that simplies the development, deployment and operations of exible business solutions. For more information on SQL Server and the SQL Server Migration Assistant, visit http://www.microsoft.com/sql/migration.

This document is developed prior to the products release to manufacturing, and as such, we cannot guarantee that all details included herein will be exactly as what is found in the shipping product. The information contained in this document represents the current view of Microsoft Corporation on the issues discussed as of the date of publication. Because Microsoft must respond to changing market conditions, it should not be interpreted to be a commitment on the part of Microsoft, and Microsoft cannot guarantee the accuracy of any information presented after the date of publication. The information represents the product at the time this document was printed and should be used for planning purposes only. Information subject to change at any time without prior notice. This document is for informational purposes only. MICROSOFT MAKES NO WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, IN THIS DOCUMENT. Microsoft, Windows, the Windows logo, Windows Server, and Windows Server System are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and/or other countries. 098-102829