Migrating the vault database from one Microsoft SQL Server to another

When you migrate from one Microsoft SQL Server to another, the new Microsoft SQL Server must run the same or a later version of Microsoft SQL Server. Do not migrate a vault database to an older version of Microsoft SQL Server.

It is not necessary for the Microsoft SQL Server edition (Express, Standard, or Enterprise) to be the same. From M-Files point of view, the migration works as long as the version and edition of the new Microsoft SQL Server are supported by M-Files and the vault database can be brought online on the new server. For information about the supported versions and editions, see Microsoft SQL Server requirements.

Before you migrate to a different Microsoft SQL Server edition, make sure that the new edition is suitable for your environment:

  • The new edition must support all the features that the vault database uses, such as Transparent Data Encryption (TDE). If the new edition does not support a feature in use, the database cannot be restored on the new server. This is a Microsoft SQL Server limitation, not an M-Files limitation.
  • The new edition must be able to hold the vault database. Some editions, such as Microsoft SQL Server Express, have a hard limit for the size of a database, and a vault can become unusable if all the database space is used.

Refer to Microsoft documentation to check the features and capabilities of the Microsoft SQL Server editions.

See also Important tasks after installation, vault creation, or vault migration for a checklist of tasks that we recommend to be done with vault creation.

To migrate a vault database from one Microsoft SQL Server to another:

  1. Open M-Files Admin.
  2. In the left-side tree view, expand a connection to M-Files server.
  3. Open the context menu of a vault and select Operations > Take Offline.
  4. Open Microsoft SQL Server Management Studio and take a full backup of the vault database.
  5. Restore the database to the new Microsoft SQL Server as a new database.
    If the restore does not complete correctly, contact your Microsoft SQL Server administrator. The cause is usually an unsupported database feature rather than an M-Files issue.
  6. In M-Files Admin, open the context menu of the document vault and select Properties.
    Result:The Document Vault Properties dialog opens.
  7. Open the Advanced tab.
  8. Under the Use Microsoft SQL Server option, select Define....
    Result:The Document Vault - Microsoft SQL Server dialog opens.
  9. In the Server name field, specify the name of the new Microsoft SQL Server.
  10. In the Database name field, specify the name of the new database.
  11. In the Administrator credentials and Basic user credentials sections, specify the new authentication settings.
  12. Select OK to close the Document Vault - Microsoft SQL Server dialog and then select OK to close the Document Vault Properties dialog.
  13. In the left-side tree view, open the context menu of the vault and select Operations > Bring Online.
From this point forward, the M-Files server will access the vault database from the new Microsoft SQL Server.
After you migrate the vault database to the new Microsoft SQL Server, you must create a backup job for the new database in Microsoft SQL Server Management Studio on the new Microsoft SQL Server. For more details and recommendations, see M-Files Backup Policy.