SQL Server as Migration Tracking

The migration tracking database is required for every MigratorXpress migration. It can be SQL Server (this page) or PostgreSQL. It records run history, per-run metadata snapshots, per-table task status, row counts, constraint copy results, and event logs. This database also enables --resume for interrupted migrations.

For the complete connection reference and troubleshooting, see the canonical SQL Server page.

Tracking-specific Permissions

-- Full access to the migration tracking database
ALTER ROLE db_owner ADD MEMBER migratorxpress_user;

The tracking user needs full access to create and manage the internal tables that record migration runs, task statuses, and resume state.

Migration DB Modes

The --migration_db_mode flag controls how MigratorXpress treats the tracking schema at startup.

Mode	Behavior
preserve (default)	Keep tracking data; required to use --resume
truncate	Delete the content of all tracking tables (all runs), keep the tables
drop	Drop and recreate all tracking tables

Upgrading from 0.6

Tracking databases created by 0.6.x are upgraded in place to the 0.7 schema (run_id added to the catalog primary keys), automatically on the first 0.7 run or manually with --upgrade_migdb. Back up the database first; on large tracking databases the clustered primary key rebuild is the slowest step. See Upgrading the tracking database.

Example Auth Entry

{
  "migration_tracking": {
    "ds_type": "mssql",
    "auth_mode": "classic",
    "info": {
      "username": "migrator",
      "password": "********",
      "server": "sql-host.company.com",
      "port": 1433,
      "database": "migration_log"
    }
  }
}

Reference it on the command line with --migration_db_auth_id migration_tracking. The tracking tables are created in the default schema of the login (normally dbo). The tracking entry can also use auth_mode connection_string, trusted or odbc (see Authentication modes).

See Also

• SQL Server -- full connection reference
• Database Connections -- auth file format and security