FAQ: How to Use SQL Server Migration Assistant

Review this FAQ to find answers to common questions about using the SQL Server Migration Assistant and related technologies.

Q. What is SSMA? A. SQL Server Migration Assistant (SSMA) defines and automates all the major steps in the database migration process (Migration Assessment, Schema Conversion, Data Migration, Testing). SSMA provides comprehensive assessment reports, one-click conversion of all schema and data, one-click conversion of almost all database-resident business logic, and automated testing of the converted code. All these capabilities are made available in a single migration IDE. Q. What is an Assessment Report? A. An Assessment Report provides quantitative and qualitative conversion assessment. This lets the user, project manager, or other decision-maker evaluate the project complexity, size, and cost. The statistics that are provided by the Assessment Report include the total number of database objects, number of lines of code, estimated conversion complexity, and estimated amount of manual work. You can view these statistics by using SQL Server Migration Assistant, or save them to a file in a Microsoft Excel-compatible format. You can also view an HTML report to see areas of conversion difficulties. For more information, see the SQL Server Migration Assistant product documentation. Q. What objects can be converted by using SSMA? A. SSMA converts all database objects, including stored procedures, functions, triggers, views, packaged procedures, packaged functions, and sequences. SSMA also provides contextsensitive warnings and output messages. The conversion engine encapsulates a patentpending technology from Microsoft that represents one of the most complete PL/SQL to Transact-SQL conversion capabilities available. Q. How can I test the converted code? A. You can use the Migration Tester in SSMA for Oracle to automate the testing of all converted database objects against the original Oracle-based code. By using automatically generated data sets, the SSMA Tester verifies that the behavior of the converted code is identical to that of the original code, and flags code objects that do not conform. The Tester UI has a wizard that guides you through all the necessary steps to test a particular procedure or function. For more information, see the SQL Server Migration Assistant product documentation. Q. What is the SSMA Extension Pack? A. The SSMA Extension Pack creates SYSDB database in SQL Server which contains a run-time library emulating Oracle system functions that come with Oracle system packages. Functions such as substr, round, and lpad are examples of Oracle functions emulation. It also contains tables for emulation of sequences and package variables. Note: You should run the Extension Pack Installer on a local computer that has SQL Server 2005 installed. Q. What is the difference between SSMA for Oracle version 3 and SSMA for Oracle version 4? A. SSMA for Oracle version 4 contains many improvements of both functionality and performance. Among them, you can find emulations of new Oracle statements and system packages, extended Tester features, and support for SQL Server 2008, Windows Vista, and 64-bit environment. The user interface has been improved to make the conversion process even more convenient.

SQL Server 2005 Solutions Migration Oracle - FAQ

Q. What versions of SQL Server will SSMA migrate to? A. SSMA will migrate data to SQL Server 2005 only. Q. How do I get a license key? A. To get a license key, follow these steps: 1. Install and start SQL Server Migration Assistant. 2. Follow the instructions in the dialog box that appears, requesting a license key: Click Create License Request. Click the link that takes you to the Windows Live log on page. Enter your Windows Live credentials and contact information. On the next page, download the license.key file and put it into a license directory. Click the Refresh License button in the Licensing dialog box. The dialog box should close. Q. How can I scope my migration project? A. Run the Migration Analyzer to create Assessment Report and send the results to ora2sql@microsoft.com. Q. How do I run the Assessment Report? A. To create an assessment report, follow these steps: 1. Connect to the instance of Oracle database that contains the database that you want to migrate. 2. Connect to the instance of SQL Server that contains the target database. This step is optional, but it is helpful. 3. In Oracle Metadata Explorer, select the schema to assess. 4. Right-click Databases and select Create Report. Because the report is actually converting the entire schema to SQL Server syntax, it can take a long time to generate. Upon completion, you will get a visual report with multiple statistics. The report is saved into the Report subdirectory of the current project as a set of HTML files. You can view it separately from SSMA for Oracle by using Internet Explorer 6 or later. Q. How do I get started with SSMA? A. Start by running the Migration Analyzer. It produces reports based on trying to automatically convert each of the Oracle objects. Based on these reports you can see which objects have to be converted automatically and which require manual intervention. You will also see an estimate of the complexity of manual conversion. After you finish assessing the potential migration issues, you can start converting objects. Q. How can I get help while using SSMA? A. For all technical questions, send an e-mail to ora2sql@microsoft.com.

SQL Server 2005 Solutions Migration Oracle - FAQ