SQL Server - Copy data from one database to another - identical tables, new identity values needed

Question

Here's the thing, I have been running identical copies of my website for two different geographical regions. The site now supports multi-currency pricing so I want to merge both sites together.

All tables that I need to merge are Identity based and foolishly the matching tables in each copy of the database were seeded at the same number.

Is there a way to copy the data from one database to another at the same time giving the copy data new identity values that also are reflected in the foreign key values of referenced tables?

i.e.

Account
- Id
- Email
- FirstName
- etc

AccountImage
- Id
- Account_id
- FileName
- etc

And so on..

Answer 1

Unless I'm missing something your problem is not moving the data it's dealing with the identity values that are already set up. If that is the case then try this.

1. Pick a value greater than your current ident values on either DB. I would pick a round value, say 1,000,000.
2. Pick the ident values you want to change (for example if you have lookup tables that are the same for both DBs then you probably want to leave them the same.)
3. When you move your data add the value you selected in step 1 to the idents value you want to change as you move them.

As long as you are consistent in the value you are adding all of your relationships will stay the same into the combined DB. So for example

You have an employee table with a current max id of 200,000 in DB A and 1,400,000 in DB B. You decide to move the data from DB A to DB B because it means moving less data. As you move your employee table you add 2,000,000 to the Employee_Id column.

USE DatabaseB
GO

SET IDENTITY_INSERT Employee ON

INSERT INTO Employee (Employee_Id, Other_Columns)
SELECT Employee_Id + 2000000, Other_Columns
FROM DatabaseA.dbo.Employee

SET IDENTITY_INSERT Employee OFF
GO

And last piece of advice back up everything before you start in case you make a mistake :)

Answer 2

IF both databases same server and you have permission to access both database

Method 1:

You can script entire main database and run it with new database name, then you will have same schema and data of main database (Possible from SQL server 2008 Version onwards)

Method 2:

If you need only few tables with schema,relationships and data then scripts it from main database

Follow table hierarchy - 1.Master table 2.Child table

1. Script tables schema
2. Script table data
3. Script table relationships and constraints

Run it in same order

Method 3:

If you need only tables schema and data then go for IMPORT/EXPORT

Answer 3

Perhaps the easiest way is to just do a insert...select, re-referencing at the same time by using set identity_insert on and adding a fixed value to the existing identity to ensure no conflict between the data sets ?

Something like this:

set identity_insert myTable on

insert into db1.dbo.myTable
( identity_column, [column, column...] )
select identity_column+1000, [column, column...]
from db2.dbo.myTable

set identity_insert myTable off