copy-databases-to-other-servers.md

title	Copy databases to other servers
description	Learn how to copy a SQL Server database from one computer to another for testing, to make it available to remote-branch operations, or for other reasons.
author	WilliamDAssafMSFT
ms.author	wiassaf
ms.reviewer	randolphwest
ms.date	07/19/2024
ms.service	sql
ms.subservice	backup-restore
ms.topic	conceptual
helpviewer_keywords	servers [SQL Server], copying databases between bulk exporting [SQL Server], between servers database copying [SQL Server] migrating databases [SQL Server] moving databases copying databases bulk importing [SQL Server], between servers

Copy databases to other servers

[!INCLUDE SQL Server]

Sometimes you might find it useful to copy a database from one computer to another. Reasons include testing, checking consistency, developing software, running reports, creating a mirror database, or possibly to make the database available to remote-branch operations.

There are several ways to copy a database:

• Use the Copy Database Wizard

  You can use the Copy Database Wizard to copy or move databases between servers or to upgrade a [!INCLUDE ssNoVersion] database to a later version. For more information, see Use the Copy Database Wizard.

• Restore a database backup

  To copy an entire database, you can use the BACKUP and RESTORE [!INCLUDE tsql] statements. Typically, restoring a full backup of a database is used to copy the database from one computer to another for various reasons. For information on using backup and restore to copy a database, see Copy Databases with Backup and Restore.

  [!NOTE]
  To set up a mirror database for database mirroring, you must restore the database onto the mirror server by using RESTORE DATABASE <database_name> WITH NORECOVERY. For more information, see Prepare a Mirror Database for Mirroring (SQL Server).

Related content

• Use the Copy Database Wizard
• Restore database