Testing a SQL Server environment before an upgrade

Learn how application and full regression testing can ensure a successful SQL Server upgrade – and save on money and performance headaches.

Does Upgrading to SQL Server 2008 Fit Your Business?

While SQL Server 2008 offers several new benefits for organizations, the trick is figuring out if those performance and availability advantages are truly worth the upgrade.

Upgrade Strategies for SQL Server 2008

If you make the decision to upgrade to 2008, there are a number of tools that make the process easier, but you still need to understand what things you should consider. We have a new article from Arshad Ali to help you understand the process and what you should consider.

Restoring a database during SQL Server upgrade

Part 2 in this upgrade series lists the steps to point application traffic at a transition server while the primary cluster is rebuilt to Windows Server 2003 and SQL Server 2005.

Checkpoint

Microsoft SQL Server Migration Assistant

Are you looking to move your Oracle databases to SQL Server? You should be and when you convince your management to do so, Microsoft has a tool to help. New author Suresh Maganti of Scalability Experts brings us a look at how this works.

Access to SQL Server: Linking Tables

SQL Server 2000 and Access databases can be configured to work closely together. If you find that the Access storage format is not handling your needs and an upgrade is needed, you need not through away all of your access development. Instead, you can link Access tables to underlying tables in SQL Server and improve your application by using SQL Server as the backend for your Access project. Author Kathi Kellenberger brings us her second articles in an Access series looking at Linking tables to

Migrating Microsoft Access Applications to SQL Server

Microsoft Access targets individual information workers and small teams that use the Microsoft Office System to track, manage, prioritize, and act upon an increasing volume of business information. The data stored in these databases rarely justifies moving to a more robust platform until the application begins expanding into departmental scenarios. When this happens, it is worthwhile to consider moving the data into a more robust platform for enhanced reliability, scalability, and greater IT control. In most cases, the data can be moved through a process called "upsizing" while the Access application front-end continues to provide information workers with access to critical data. Microsoft has created resources in the following three categories to help manage Access data in your organizations:

Access to SQL Server: The Upsizing Wizard

SQL Server 2000 is the basis for the new Access database storage. However there are still many cases where applications developed on Access are outgrown and need to be moved to SQL Server to support the load. Author Kathi Kellenberger brings us a look at the Upsizing Wizard and how you can move your databases to SQL Server.

Upsizing the Access Database into the SQL Server

SQL Server and Access are usually linked together as Access used for applications at the beginning of their lifecycle that are later moved to SQL Server when the load gets too high or the data sizes grow. There are often cases where you may also want to use SQL Server as a backend to an Access application. But how do you get your data from Access to SQL Server? Author Dinesh Asanka brings us an overview of the various ways that you can move your Access database to SQL Server.