Move Content Studio to another database server

This article describes the steps to move Content Studio databases from one server to another. It requires good knowledge about Microsoft SQL-server administration and Enterprise Manager.

Sometimes it is necessary to move the Content Studio databases from one server to another. The simplest way of doing this is to restore all of the Content Studio databases to the new server using database backups. Alternately you can detach the databases from original server, copy the database files to the new server and attach them again - however this process is somewhat more complicated. The databases that should be backed up/restored or detached/attached are "Content Studio", "CSDS", all site databases and all databases, if existing, whose names start with "CSDS_".

 

Adjust security

After that you have set up all the databases on the new server you must adjust the security of each one of the databases so that the Content Studio runtime account is a trusted login of the databases. Start by removing the current database user for the Content Studio runtime account that was transformed with the databases. If both the SQL-servers are member of Active Directory this will be the same domain account. If not you must first create a local account that has the same login name and password as the Content Studio runtime account used by the Content Studio installation. Add this user as a login to SQL-server and let it be a member of the DB_OWNER standard role in each one of the databases mentioned above.

 

Rebuild the full text index

The Content Studio full-text index is placed in 2 full-text catalogs that will be lost after the restore/attach operation. To restore these you must fully rebuild, delete and recreate them. For detailed instructions read the knowledge base article How to rebuild the Content Studio full-text index.

 

Adjusting connection information in the database

Content Studio stores the connection information for each one of its site databases in the tbl_Connection table located in the database named Content Studio. Open this table and update all references in the ConnectionString column to the old server to reflect the new server name. Ex. If your old SQL-server was named MYOLDSERVER and the new server is called MYNEWSERVER you will do the following replace:

to

Provider=SQLOLEDB.1;Integrated Security=SSPI;Persist Security Info=False;Initial Catalog=MYSITE;Data Source=MYNEWSERVER

 

Adjusting the connection information on the web server

The last step is to edit the UDL-files that Content Studio uses to connect to its database. These files are placed in the CS Server sub folder in the Content Studio program files folder ex. C:\Program Files\Teknikhuset\Content Studio 32. Open them by double-clicking on each one of them and change the SQL server to the new machine. Normally you find at least 2 files; CS.UDL and CSDS.UDL and both of them should be edited.

 

Using Content Studio on a named instance of SQL-server.

If you have installed SQL-server on a named instance you must use its fully qualified name when entering server information above. Ex. If your server is named MYSERVER and the instance is called SQL1 you will use the name MYSERVER\SQL1.