Need Help with SQL Database Export to Container - Stuck at 1% Progress

Question

'm currently facing an issue while trying to export my SQL database into a container. Despite my best efforts, I find myself stuck at a frustrating 1% progress and I'm not sure how to proceed. I'm reaching out to seek your expertise and guidance on how to overcome this hurdle.

Here's a brief overview of the situation:

Objective: I'm attempting to export my SQL database to a container. This step is crucial for my project as it involves migrating data and setting up the environment for further development.

Stuck at 1% Progress: My problem is that the export process doesn't seem to go beyond 1% completion. This persistent roadblock has left me puzzled and unsure about the root cause of the issue.

Steps Taken So Far:

• I've double-checked my export commands and syntax to ensure accuracy.
• I've confirmed that there are no syntax errors or typos in my commands.
• I've reviewed the documentation for both the database and the container platform, hoping to find insights into potential compatibility issues.
• I've left the process running for an extended period, thinking that it might be a time-consuming operation, but the progress remains stuck at 1%.

Request for Help: Given the situation, I'm kindly seeking your advice on how to troubleshoot this problem. Are there common pitfalls that I might be overlooking? Are there any specific logs or error messages I should be checking? Any guidance or insights you can provide will be immensely appreciated.

Relevant Details:

• Database: [Specify your SQL database type and version]
• Container Platform: [Specify the platform where you're trying to export the database]
• Export Command Used: [Provide the exact command you're using for exporting]

If anyone has encountered a similar issue before or has expertise in exporting SQL databases to containers, I would be extremely grateful for your input. Your valuable suggestions could help me identify the issue and make progress with my project.

Thank you in advance for your time and assistance. I'm looking forward to your insights and suggestions.

Answer 1

Hi @DEV2023

Since you mentioned that your export operation is repeatedly getting stuck from the portal, I recommend trying the export through SQLPackage. 

This can be a best bet solution for many scenarios to overcome limitations on the database size and also to export SQL DB via private endpoint. 

Here is detailed blog on “Using SQLPackage to import or export SQL Server and Azure SQL DB “ Using SQLPackage to import or export SQL Server and Azure SQL DB - Microsoft Community Hub

Please note, The Azure SQL Database Import/Export service provides a limited number of compute virtual machines (VMs) per region to process import and export operations. The compute VMs are hosted per region to make sure that the import or export avoids cross-region bandwidth delays and charges. If too many requests are made at the same time in the same region, significant delays can occur in processing the operations. The time that's required to complete requests can vary from a few seconds to many hours.

Additionally, exporting large tables without clustered indexes can be very slow or even cause failure. This behavior occurs because the table can't be split up and exported in parallel. Instead, it must be exported in a single transaction, and that causes slow performance and potential failure during export, especially for large tables.

Also, in case if you are using private link to export the DB, you need to approve manually the new private endpoint connection to complete the export operation as shown below in https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-sql/database/database-import-export-private-link?view=azuresql#limitations documentation, if you do not approve those new private endpoints after starting the export; the export operation likely to get stuck.

Hope this help!

Let us know if you need any additional information.

Thank you!