How to Migrate from On-Premise to SQLServer in PostgreSQL

How do I migrate an on-premise SQL Server database to Azure SQL without downtime?

Use sqlpackage or Azure Database Migration Service (DMS) to move an on-premise SQL Server database into Azure SQL Database or Azure SQL Managed Instance with minimal downtime.

Welcome to the Galaxy, Guardian!

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Description

Why migrate on-premise SQL Server to Azure?

Reduce hardware costs, gain built-in high availability, and scale elastically without managing physical servers.

Which tools handle the migration?

Use Azure Database Migration Service (online/offline modes) for zero- or low-downtime moves, or sqlpackage for a quick export/import of small databases.

How does the sqlpackage export work?

sqlpackage generates a BACPAC that contains both schema and data.You run it from any machine that can reach the source SQL Server.

How do I import into Azure SQL?

Upload the BACPAC to Azure Storage, then run sqlpackage /Action:Import against the Azure SQL endpoint.

What if my database is large?

Use Azure DMS online migration. It continuously replicates changes until cut-over, minimizing downtime to minutes.

Can I validate data after migration?

Run checksum comparisons or row counts on critical tables like Customers, Orders, and Products before switching production traffic.

Should I tweak schema for Azure?

Yes.Replace unsupported features (e.g., FILESTREAM, cross-database CLR), review MAXDOP settings, and size indexes for cloud I/O.

How to cut over safely?

Pause application writes, complete final sync in DMS, switch connection strings, and monitor performance metrics such as DTU or vCore usage.

Best practices for e-commerce workloads?

Enable Query Store for automatic tuning, turn on Accelerated Database Recovery for faster rollbacks, and configure geo-replication for disaster recovery.

Why How to Migrate from On-Premise to SQLServer in PostgreSQL is important

How to Migrate from On-Premise to SQLServer in PostgreSQL Example Usage


-- Validate row counts after import
SELECT 'Customers' AS TableName, COUNT(*) AS Rows FROM Customers
UNION ALL
SELECT 'Orders', COUNT(*) FROM Orders
UNION ALL
SELECT 'Products', COUNT(*) FROM Products;

How to Migrate from On-Premise to SQLServer in PostgreSQL Syntax


sqlpackage /Action:Export \
          /SourceServerName:"onprem-sql.corp.local" \
          /SourceDatabaseName:"Ecommerce" \
          /TargetFile:"C:\Backups\Ecommerce.bacpac" 

sqlpackage /Action:Import \
          /TargetServerName:"galaxy-sql.database.windows.net" \
          /TargetDatabaseName:"Ecommerce" \
          /SourceFile:"Ecommerce.bacpac" \
          /p:DatabaseEdition=GeneralPurpose \
          /p:DatabaseServiceObjective="GP_Gen5_2" 

Azure DMS online migration (PowerShell snippet):

Start-AzDataMigration -ResourceGroupName "rg-galaxy" -ServiceName "dms-galaxy" -ProjectName "ecommerce-migration" -TaskName "ecommerce-task"

Common Mistakes

Exporting a live, high-traffic database with sqlpackage causes long locks and outages. Fix it by switching to Azure DMS online migration, which streams changes while users stay online.
Ignoring Azure SQL size and service tier leads to throttling. Fix by sizing vCores/DTUs based on current CPU, memory, and I/O metrics, or start higher then scale down after baseline.