Best way to copy a Metastorm database to a new server

I have two servers running Metastorm 7.5 and SQL Server 2008, one for production and the other for testing. What is the best way to copy the production Metastorm database to the test server?

In SQL Server Management Studio, I did an export of the data from the Metastorm database on production to the Metastorm database on the test server. I found that I could not open any new folders or admin forms because the tables that had the prefix of "seq" had the IDENTITY property set to No for the eFolderNameSuffix column, but the same tables on the production server had the setting for IDENTITY to Yes for the same tables.

While I can now open admin forms and new folders after changing the IDENTITY property, I am concerned that there may be other differences between the production and test Metastorm databases that I am unaware of.

Would it be better to just do a backup of the production server's Metastorm database and restore it on the test server rather than just an export of the data in the tables?

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Comments

achopra

I'm not an expert on this topic by any means, but I would think that you would be better off doing a backup and restore. That will preserve all of the various table settings such as the identity column settings and so forth.

Jerome_Pearce

I have to agree. Backup and retore is the only way - any other way will probably end in tears and be a lot more complex anyway.

Rui Miranda

Hey, we are analyzing doing something similiar to what ssmelche did, althougth we are a little concern with the link bettewen Metastorm's engine and the sql server instance.

If by any chance the sql server instance name in the Production Server is different from the Test Server name, will there be any problems?

McGaw_Phil

Presumming you already have the Metastorm application server configured to point to the test database sql server instance, and the database name isn't changing, then I think you are fine to do the backup from your production environment and restore it over the database in the sql server instance.

Guessing you already know this, but restores are an offline activity so your test environment engine will have to be stopped during the database restore.