Import a database in D365 finance and operations Fno

 Import a database

You can use Microsoft Dynamics Lifecycle Services (LCS) to import a golden configuration database into a sandbox user acceptance testing (UAT) environment.

Self-service import database

To import a database that is prepared from a developer environment to a standard user acceptance test (UAT), or a database previously exported from a UAT environment, follow the steps outlined below:

1. Go to your target sandbox Environment Details page, and select the Maintain > Move database menu option.
2. Select Import database and choose your source database backup (.bacpac format) file from the Asset Library.
3. Note the warnings. Review the list of data elements that are cleaned up from the backup file.
4. The import operation will begin immediately.

 Note

All users except the Admin user and other internal service user accounts will be unavailable after import. Therefore, the Admin user can delete or obfuscate data before other users are allowed back into the system.

To import a database to a developer environment after you've downloaded a database backup (.bacpac) file, you can begin the manual import operation on your Tier 1 environment. When you import the database, we recommend that you follow these guidelines:

• Keep a copy of the existing AxDB database, so that you can revert to it later if needed.
• Import the new database under a new name, such as AxDB_fromProd.

To ensure the best performance, copy the *.bacpac file to the local computer that you're importing from. Download sqlpackage .NET Core for Windows from Get sqlpackage .NET Core for Windows. Open a Command Prompt window, and run the following commands from the sqlpackage .NET Core folder.

SqlPackage.exe /a:import /sf:D:\Exportedbacpac\my.bacpac /tsn:localhost /tdn:<target database name> /p:CommandTimeout=1200

Here is an explanation of the parameters:

• tsn (target server name) – The name of the Microsoft SQL Server instance to import into.
• tdn (target database name) – The name of the database to import into. The database should not already exist.
• sf (source file) – The path and name of the file to import from.

 Note

During import, the user name and password aren't required. By default, SQL Server uses Microsoft Windows authentication for the user who is currently signed in.

For information about how to complete the manual import operations into a Tier 1 environment, see Import the database.

Import operation failure

If the import operation isn't successful, you can do a rollback. If you select the Rollback option after the initial failure of the operation, your target sandbox environment is restored to the state that it was in before the import began. The rollback operation is made available by the Microsoft Azure SQL Database point-in-time restore capability for restoring the database. Rollback is often required if a customization that is present in the target sandbox can't complete a database synchronization with the newly imported data.

Data elements that require attention after import

Specific activities must be completed when you import a database backup into a sandbox UAT environment. Here are some examples:

• Make sure that the source database contains only a single record in the Partitions table.
• Make sure that email capabilities are correctly reconfigured or turned off, according to your requirements.
• Make sure that integration settings are turned on or off, according to your requirements.
• Make sure that Application Object Server (AOS) servers are added back to required batch groups.
• Make sure that system Help and task guides are reconnected.
• Make sure that batch jobs are set to a status of Waiting.
• Make sure that users are re-enabled.

Environment admin

The system admin account in the target environment (Admin user ID) is reset to the value that is found in the web.config file in that environment. This account should be the same as the admin account from LCS. To preview which account this account will be, visit the Environment details page for your target sandbox in LCS. The value that was selected in the Environment Administrator field when the environment was first deployed is updated to the system admin in the transactional database. Therefore, the tenant of the environment will be the tenant of the environment admin.

If you've used the Admin User Provisioning Tool on your environment to change the web.config file, the value might not match the value in LCS. If you require that a different account be used, you must deallocate and delete the target sandbox, redeploy, and select another account. You can then do another database refresh action to restore the data.