Import data to sql Server 6.5

I have a datafile, Bendill.dat, from a SQL6.5 database I used to run some
time ago. The machine on which this used to run is not operational any more.
I have set up SQL Server 6.5 on a virtual machine, and want to import my old
data from Bendill.dat into this SQL6.5.
How do I do it?
When I have this running, my ultimate goal is to convert the SQL6.5 data to
SQL2000 and from there to SQL2005 (as there is no direct upgrade path from
SQL6.5 to SQL2005).
Regards,
Gudni
Gudni G. Sigurdsson (GudniGSigurdsson@.discussions.microsoft.com) writes:
> I have a datafile, Bendill.dat, from a SQL6.5 database I used to run
> some time ago. The machine on which this used to run is not operational
> any more.
> I have set up SQL Server 6.5 on a virtual machine, and want to import
> my old data from Bendill.dat into this SQL6.5.
> How do I do it?
Do you have any idea of how that file is organized? I assume that this
is a device file, such a file can have multiple databases, or even worse,
multiple fragments of databases. That is, a database can be on multiple
device files.
If you know that there is only a single database on the file, it's a
little easier, but it would still help to know what is the data and
what is the log.
I think the command to use would be DISK REINIT, but I don't think I
ever used it under all those years I ran 4.x and 6.x.
Erland Sommarskog, SQL Server MVP, esquel@.sommarskog.se
Books Online for SQL Server 2005 at
http://www.microsoft.com/technet/prodtechnol/sql/2005/downloads/books.mspx
Books Online for SQL Server 2000 at
http://www.microsoft.com/sql/prodinfo/previousversions/books.mspx
|||Tibor Karaszi (tibor_please.no.email_karaszi@.hotmail.nomail.com) writes:
> Yes, DISK REINIT which will re-create the database devices. Then DISK
> REFIT, which will create the database based on those devices. DISK
> REINIT is the tricky part since ideally you want to run it so you get a
> proper layout of data vs. log allocations.
It would really help if Gudni has the contents of syssegments from the
6.5 master database saved somewhere.
That old architecture is certainly not missed at all.
Erland Sommarskog, SQL Server MVP, esquel@.sommarskog.se
Books Online for SQL Server 2005 at
http://www.microsoft.com/technet/prodtechnol/sql/2005/downloads/books.mspx
Books Online for SQL Server 2000 at
http://www.microsoft.com/sql/prodinfo/previousversions/books.mspx
|||Hello and thanks for responses so far.
This file is a device file unfortunately rather than a backup file.
As far as I know there is only one database in this file bendill.dat and
that is the database I am interested in. And I believe this file stores the
whole database.
Later today I will try your suggestions and see how far that will get me.
"Tibor Karaszi" wrote:

> I think it is sysusages which is the one that is needed in order to get the database fragment
> layout.
>
> I couldn't agree more! :-)
> --
> Tibor Karaszi, SQL Server MVP
> http://www.karaszi.com/sqlserver/default.asp
> http://sqlblog.com/blogs/tibor_karaszi
>
> "Erland Sommarskog" <esquel@.sommarskog.se> wrote in message
> news:Xns99EBB6194C187Yazorman@.127.0.0.1...
>
|||Thanks both of you Karaszi and Sommarskog.
I have not been working on this problem since 11/17/2007 but I will have to
come back to it. Unfortunately, I have had no success so far. I feel I have
to get hold of SQL Server 6.5 Books Online to better understand what I am
doing and how I should go about following your propositions.
So long,
Gudni
"Tibor Karaszi" wrote:

> You should be able to do DISK REINIT and use the size of your file to calculate the size of the file
> that you specify for your DISK REINIT. Depending on the original layout, you might end up with data
> pages where SQL Server expects log records and vice versa, but that should hopefully not prohibit
> you from exporting the data.
> --
> Tibor Karaszi, SQL Server MVP
> http://www.karaszi.com/sqlserver/default.asp
> http://sqlblog.com/blogs/tibor_karaszi
>
> "Gudni G. Sigurdsson" <GudniGSigurdsson@.discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
> news:69643E74-8ABA-45A7-8FA4-F6B506A94320@.microsoft.com...
>
|||Gudni G. Sigurdsson (GudniGSigurdsson@.discussions.microsoft.com) writes:
> I have not been working on this problem since 11/17/2007 but I will have
> to come back to it. Unfortunately, I have had no success so far. I
> feel I have to get hold of SQL Server 6.5 Books Online to better
> understand what I am doing and how I should go about following your
> propositions.
Isn't Books Online installed with the 6.5 installation you have?
If you have access to MSDN Subcriber Downloads, you can get SQL 6.5
with Books Online and all there.
Erland Sommarskog, SQL Server MVP, esquel@.sommarskog.se
Books Online for SQL Server 2005 at
http://www.microsoft.com/technet/prodtechnol/sql/2005/downloads/books.mspx
Books Online for SQL Server 2000 at
http://www.microsoft.com/sql/prodinfo/previousversions/books.mspx