When upgrading from windows server 2012 standard to data-center using dism, will a data loss occur? Will I have to re-install programs already installed in the server?
I'm going to follow the instructions mentioned in : http://blogs.technet.com/b/chitpro-de/archive/2012/09/18/upgrade-von-windows-server-2012-standard-edition-auf-datacenter-edition.aspx
You won't lose any data, but a backup prior to making the change is smart regardless.
Assuming the server isn't a domain controller, you can proceed with the normal DISM commands to "upgrade" (license conversion is what MS calls it) the edition from standard to datacenter.
If it is a domain controller, you will have to first demote the DC to a member server. Then you can run the DISM command, and then dcpromo it back to being a domain controller again.
