Migration feature on SSMS 22

Question

Hi Expert,

I'm running first time Migrate SQL Server feature on SSMS 22 for Database Assessment with 10TB size, this report as below:

"Status": "Error",

  "**AssessmentRecommendations": [],**

  "Name": "DBStaging",

  "SizeMB": 11429068.8125,

  "ServerVersion": "13.0.5820.21",

  "ServerEdition": "Enterprise Edition: Core-based Licensing (64-bit)",

  "CompatibilityLevel": "CompatLevel130",

  "ServerName": "myDBs"

another DB report Status: "Completed"

is this normally result if Status: "Error" ? because on Dialog box said that this DBStaging .." There are no Compatibility issues with your database. And Findings 0

thanks for all ang great appreciation for reply

warm regards,

UrBel

Answer 1

“Status: Error” in the JSON output is not normal for a successful assessment, even if the dialog says “There are no compatibility issues” and “Findings 0”. A completed and healthy assessment should show a status like “Completed/Ready/Ready with warnings/Not ready” depending on the tool and target.

Key points from the tools in SSMS 22:

1. The migration/upgrade components in SSMS are designed to:
   • Run an assessment and then open a report listing issues by category (breaking changes, behavior changes, deprecated features, feature parity).
   • Show readiness states such as Ready, Ready with warnings, or Not ready for Azure targets, or a completed upgrade assessment for on‑prem upgrades.
   • When there are no compatibility issues, the report should still complete successfully, not return an error status.
2. For upgrade assessment (on‑prem to higher SQL version):
   • After running Upgrade Assessment, the tool completes and opens a report.
   • The report lists issues; if there are none, it simply shows no findings.
   • There is no indication in the documentation that “no findings” should map to a JSON Status: "Error".
3. For Azure migration readiness in SSMS:
   • Readiness categories are Ready, Ready with warnings, or Not ready.
   • “Error” is not documented as a normal readiness state; it indicates the assessment did not run or complete correctly.

Given that:

• One database shows Status: "Completed" and the other Status: "Error".
• The dialog for DBStaging says “no compatibility issues” and “Findings 0”.

The most likely interpretation is:

• The assessment engine encountered a non‑compatibility‑related problem (for example, size, metadata read, or internal rule execution) and flagged the run as Error, but the compatibility rules that did execute did not find any issues.
• This is not the expected or “normal” final state; it should be treated as a failed or partial assessment, not as a clean bill of health.

Recommended actions:

1. Re‑run the assessment for DBStaging only, ensuring:
   • SSMS 22 is fully up to date and the Hybrid and Migration workload is installed.
   • The login used has sysadmin permissions, as required by the migration/upgrade components.
2. If the status remains Error while showing 0 findings, treat it as an assessment failure and not as “no issues”. For a 10 TB database, consider:
   • Using the Azure Arc–based migration assessment (if the instance is Arc‑enabled) and reviewing the readiness and compatibility tabs.
   • Or using a separate assessment tool such as Data Migration Assistant (DMA) for cross‑validation.
3. Only rely on the DBStaging assessment as “clean” once the status is a normal completed/readiness state rather than Error.

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References:

• Migrate SQL Server to Azure SQL using the migration component in SSMS
• Upgrade SQL Server using the migration component in SSMS
• Assess migration readiness - SQL Server enabled by Azure Arc
• Release notes for SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS)
• SQL Server Assessment tool - Microsoft Q&A