Microsoft Offers New SQL Server Migration Tools

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The new SQL Server Migration Assistant for MySQL v1.0 tool, which can be downloaded here at no cost, purportedly facilitates moving files from the open source MySQL relational database management system (through version 4.1). The tool is designed to help with migrations to Microsoft SQL Server 2005, SQL Server 2008, SQL Server 2008 R2 or SQL Azure, Microsoft's database in the cloud.

The new tool converts or migrates MySQL control statements, cursors, DML statements, stored functions, stored procedures, tables, transactions, triggers and views, according to Microsoft's announcement.

Microsoft also updated its SQL Server Migration Assistant for Access tool by releasing version 4.2, which is also available for download at no cost. This tool helps users migrate from Microsoft Access (Access 97 and higher versions) to Microsoft SQL Server 2005, SQL Server 2008, SQL Server 2008 R2 or SQL Azure.

This last part -- migrating to Microsoft's cloud-based SQL Azure -- is a new feature in this Access migration tool. Microsoft is claiming that Access users can continue to use their existing applications built on Access while tapping into SQL Azure, which offers far greater capacity and scale-up potential.

"You can also link Access tables to SQL Server tables so that you can continue to use your existing Access front-end applications with SQL Server or SQL Azure," Microsoft explains in its overview release note for the tool.

A Microsoft blog explains that "Access 2010 can connect transparently to SQL Azure data, opening up opportunities for Access users and technology providers to create rich experiences (using the familiar Access application environment they already use) while leveraging the benefits of the cloud on a 'pay as you grow' elastic basis."

For those wanting to move off Oracle 7.3 edition (or higher versions), Microsoft rolled out a new release of its SQL Server Migration Assistant for Oracle. The new version 4.2 of this tool (free download here) helps with Migrations to SQL Server 2005, SQL Server 2008 or SQL Server 2008 R2. Apparently, there is no SQL Azure migration with this tool.

Finally, Microsoft released SQL Server Migration Assistant for Sybase v4.2, which can be downloaded here for free. This tool is designed to help with migrations from Sybase ASE (version 11.9 and higher) to SQL Server 2005, SQL Server 2008 or SQL Server 2008 R2. Once again, there seems to be no SQL Azure migration option at this time.

Microsoft is promising "better support for 64-bit" platforms with the new tools. In addition, users can migrate from Access 2010, Oracle 11g R2 and Sybase 15.5 (the latest editions of those products) to SQL Server 2008 R2, Microsoft's newest relational database management server product.