SQL Server - Export Data-Tier Application to Azure

Question

Hello,

I have a 350GB database on-prem, and the server only has ~49GB of free space remaining. I want to create a .bacpac file of the database in Azure Blob Storage and am having trouble finding the answers to a few questions:

1. Is there still a 200GB database size limit when using SSMS?
2. Does SSMS create the full .bacpac file locally before sending to Azure? (e.g., it asks where to put temporary file)

Any other limitations?

Answer 1

Hi @Sean Potter

1. If exporting to blob storage, the maximum size of the BACPAC file is 200 GB. To archive larger BACPAC files, use SqlPackage to export to local storage. You can check out this note: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-sql/database/database-export?view=azuresql#considerations.
2. In the step "Export Data Tier Application Wizard" there is an "Export Settings" page. If you choose the Save to Azure option, this option will require you to specify a local directory for temporary files. Note that a temporary file will be created at the specified location and will remain there after the operation completes. You can check this link: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/sql/relational-databases/data-tier-applications/export-a-data-tier-application?view=sql-server-ver16#Export_settings.

Best regards,

Aniya