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Matt Sheppard
Asked: 2008-08-25 17:47:52 +0800 CST

How to dump a Microsoft SQL Server database to a SQL script?

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Is there any way to export a Microsoft SQL Server database to an sql script?

I'm looking for something which behaves similarly to mysqldump, taking a database name, and producing a single script which will recreate all the tables, stored procedures, reinsert all the data etc.

I've seen http://vyaskn.tripod.com/code.htm#inserts, but I ideally want something to recreate everything (not just the data) which works in a single step to produce the final script.

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9 Answers

  1. Best Answer

    In SQL Server Management Studio right-click your database and select Tasks / Generate Scripts. Follow the wizard and you'll get a script that recreates the data structure in the correct order according to foreign keys. On the wizard step titled "Set Scripting Options" choose "Advanced" and modify the "Types of data to script" option to "Schema and data"

    TIP: In the final step select "Script to a New Query Window", it'll work much faster that way.

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  2. Try Sql Server Database Publishing Wizard. You may need to re-order the script to make it run in one shot though because of dependencies but it will include your schema and data.

    If you havent got 2005 SQL XMO objects installed, you'll get an error when you run the wizard. You'll want the Microsoft SQL Server 2005 Management Objects Collection

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  3. I found SQL Dumper pretty useful. It's free so you can give it a try. It lets you choose the database tables and columns, views and even the results of custom queries as SQL insert statements.

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  4. Not finding the right tool, I decided to create my own: a sqlserverdump command line utility. Check it out on http://sqlserverdump.codeplex.com/. It will recreate schema and data in a single step.

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  5. Try DBSourceTools. It's designed to script out a source database, and re-deploy to a target database. It scripts schema and data.

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  6. The recommended solution only works on sql 2000 and 2005. If you're looking to do this on SQL 2008,

    You can do it with SQL 2008 without any other plug ins. Right click on the database and select "Tasks -> Generate Scripts...". Select the database and what you want to back up. Click next and set the "Script Data" to true.

    Further documentation at link:

    http://blog.sqlauthority.com/2011/05/07/sql-server-2008-2008-r2-create-script-to-copy-database-schema-and-all-the-objects-data-schema-stored-procedure-functions-triggers-tables-views-constraints-and-all-other-database-objects/

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  7. SQL Server Database Publishing Wizard seems indeed to be the best way to do it. The problem with this is that it does not seem to run on Windows 7. I had to use my old computer to use it. On the positive side, it works with older SQL Server versions like 2000.

    For newer SQL versions and operating systems, this software might be worth looking into: http://sqlbackupandftp.com/

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  8. Check the Microsoft SQL Server Schema Dump project (mssql-schema-dump tool at GitHub).

    Usage: mssqldump -h data-source-host -u username -p password [-d path/for/files] [-c] [-s] [-a] [-b DB1[,DB2[,DB3]]]

    The export supports:

    • DB: Schema, User Types, User Table Types, Triggers, Full Text Catalogues, Full Text StopLists, Stored Procedures, Functions
    • DB.Tables: Schema, Triggers, Indexes, DRI, Statistics
    • DB.Views: Schema, Triggers, Indexes, DRI, Statistics
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  9. Ombelt make a nice tool for exporting MS SQL server DB's. www.ombelt.com

    a lot like other DB's dump facilities.

    Works for me.

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