I have four super small databases that I need to migrate from SQL Server 2005 on one box and move to a brand new SQL Server 2008 R2 box.
I have backed up the databases and copied them to the new machine.
Should I create the new databases and then restore the backups?
Should I restore the backups, creating them in the process?
Should I.....
What's the most reliable and easy way to set these databases up on my new machine?
I've not had any problems with just leaping straight to the restore. Just remember that if any drive paths have changed (e.g. transaction logs on the new server are not stored in the same place that they were on the old server) you may need to edit the path as part of the restore process. But that's a 'detail', not a problem....