Microsoft SQL Server is an enterprise relational database management system developed by Microsoft, widely used for business applications.
Why Agent Required
SQL Server databases run on enterprise servers that cannot directly upload data to the web. The DataMeans Agent connects securely to your SQL Server environment for extraction.
What You Can Extract
- SQL Server 2008, 2012, 2014, 2016, 2017, 2019, 2022
- Legacy versions (6.5, 7.0, 2000, 2005)
- Tables, views, and indexed views
- Indexes and constraints
- Stored procedures and functions (documentation)
What You Get Out
DataMeans converts your data into multiple modern formats:
| Output | Description |
|---|---|
csv/{TableName}.csv | One CSV file per table with all row data |
xlsx/{TableName}.xlsx | Excel workbook per table (omitted for tables over 1,048,575 rows, 16,384 columns or 8,000,000 cells - see note below) |
xls/{TableName}.xls | Legacy Excel format per table (omitted for tables over 65,535 rows, 256 columns or 150,000 cells - see note below) |
json/{TableName}.json | JSON array of records per table |
json/{TableName}.jsonl | Newline-delimited JSON (streaming-friendly) |
postgres.sql | PostgreSQL CREATE TABLE + INSERT statements |
mysql.sql | The same schema and rows, in MySQL dialect |
sqlite.sql | The same schema and rows, in SQLite dialect |
ansi.sql | The same schema and rows, in portable ANSI SQL |
sqlserver.sql | The same schema and rows, in SQL Server (T-SQL) dialect |
report.json | Structured conversion report |
report.md | Human-readable conversion summary |
How It Works
Agent availability: The DataMeans Agent is currently in development and not yet available for download. The steps below describe the planned workflow. To get notified when SQL Server support launches, reach out via our About page.
- Download and install the DataMeans Agent on a system with SQL Server access
- Configure SQL Server connection credentials
- Select databases, schemas, and tables to extract
- The Agent extracts and uploads securely to DataMeans
- Review and download your converted data
Planned Support
- Full schema extraction
- Complete data extraction
- Type mapping to PostgreSQL equivalents
- Foreign key relationship detection
- Large table streaming
- Windows authentication or SQL authentication
Known Limitations
- Requires DataMeans Agent installation
- Stored procedures documented but not converted
- Very large tables may require scheduled extraction
Note on the Excel formats. An
.xlsxsheet holds at most 1,048,575 rows of data and 16,384 columns, and a legacy.xlssheet 65,535 rows and 256 columns. Rather than ship a file that looks complete but is silently cut short, DataMeans leaves a table out of any Excel format it does not fit and notes it in the job report. The.xlsxcopy is also left out for tables of more than 8,000,000 cells (1,048,575 rows of 12 columns is 12.6 million), which take too long and too much memory to write, and the.xlscopy for tables of more than 150,000 cells, which the legacy format takes far too long to write. The CSV, JSON and SQL outputs always contain every row.
Overview
Documentation coming soon.
This article will contain vendor-neutral technical documentation about the Microsoft SQL Server database format, including:
- History and background
- File format specifications
- Data types and structures
- Version differences
- Technical references
Not available for hosted uploads. This system is read over a direct database connection by the DataMeans Agent, which is still in development. Contact us to plan a migration.
Can I convert Microsoft SQL Server databases with DataMeans today?
Not yet. Microsoft SQL Server is not available for self-serve upload, and support is still in development. Get in touch and we'll tell you where it stands and help plan the migration.
What will DataMeans convert Microsoft SQL Server databases to?
Once Microsoft SQL Server is available, exports will match every other system we support: clean CSV, Excel, JSON & SQL, one file per table, with a structured report of exactly what was extracted.
Is my data secure?
Yes. Your files are encrypted in transit and at rest, and they're deleted automatically: within 7 days if you don't go ahead with a conversion, and when your download window ends if you do. We never sell or share your data, and we never use it to train machine-learning models.