Port data from running server to a new host

A task was assigned to me to port an web based inventory system used by 237 branches of ford across 2 counties to a new hosting company. The system had been running for very well for around 2 years without any problems except for the downtimes caused by the hosting company.Keeping in mind that I am no DBA I had to take lots of precautions. Initially the transfer plan generated.The plan was

1) Set up the site at new server
2) Port original database to new server
2) Test it well
3) If it clears all the testing parameters
4) Cut off data entry to old server by making the old site down
5) Move the database finally to new server
6) Clear the new database
7) Change the dns of the domain to new server

The plan was to port the data using sqlserver DTS. This was scheduled for the weekend so that the general operations of the client was not hindered .


Everything was done as planned. On Tuesday my mail box was flooded with mails stating the failure of the porting.The system was functioning partly which made lot of data being inserted devastating the system.It was a real bad situation.I put down the working site had an investigation and found that while transferring the default values set to fields were not copied by SQL server.I had to empty the new database , move the old data once again set the default values and test once again. It was working well now. So I maintained the database tables there with all the identities and default values and transferred the data once again.This time it was Ok.

So next time you do a similar transfer make sure the identity fields default values are copied too.

Though amount of pressure I had been through was beyond words, I thank my boss Aji who stood with me , my client who was cooperative enough and above all the Almighty GOD who took me across the situation.