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Thread: SQL Server backup

  1. #1
    kavita Guest

    SQL Server backup

    I need to rebuild the existing database(i.e alter the tables). Is it possibe for me to do so without losing the existing data. The tables need minor alterations.
    Thanks in advance for any help.


  2. #2
    Don Romano Guest

    SQL Server backup (reply)

    If you had a tool like DBArtisan it would be a snap... since it automates the aggrevation you will have to do. (www.embarcadero.com) (They should pay me for endorsements :-) )

    You basically may have to put the existing data somewhere... make the changes (rebuild, alter, whatever) and then repopulate the data. Depending on what changed (new fields, delete fields, change datatypes, etc...) you may need to write conversion scripts to take the old data and populate the new structure.

    What is the nature of the alterations? If it is to make a column NULL or NOT NULL than you can BCP out the data, drop and recreate the table and then BCP in the data. If you have to add a column and don`t care if it`s the last column in the table than you can just do that. If you need to change the datatypes than the BCP process might still work if SQL Server can automatically convert the data.

    You could create a second database with the new structures (if what you need to do can`t be done `in place`) and do a INSERT INTO destinationtable SELECT ... FROM sourcetable.

    Depending on the changes required there are a few approaches you can take.

    Don

    On 8/11/98 9:05:04 AM, kavita wrote:
    > I need to rebuild the existing database(i.e alter the tables). Is it
    > possibe for me to do so without losing the existing data. The tables need
    > minor alterations.
    Thanks in advance for any help.


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