Questions tagged [dacpac]

With DACPAC, DBAs get a single deployment file from the developers that contains all the changes; there's nothing to misunderstand or forget.

In the final step, it drops the original database and gives the new one the proper name. You can easily see that creating an entirely new copy of the database for a small code change won't fit into most situations.

Further, DACPAC doesn't copy user permissions or work with service broker or replication objects.

A DACPAC can be seamlessly used across multiple tools that ship with SQL Server 2012. These tools address the requirements of different user personas using a DACPAC as the unit of interoperability.

Application Developer

1. A database developer can use a SQL Server Data Tools database project to design a database. A successful build of this project results in the generation of a DACPAC contained in a .dacpac file.
2. In addition, the developer can import a DACPAC into a database project and continue to design the database. SQL Server Data Tools also supports a Local DB for unconnected, client-side database application development. The developer can take a snapshot of this local database to create DACPAC contained in a .dacpac file.
3. Independently, the developer can publish a database project directly to a database without even generating a DACPAC. The publish operation follows similar behavior as the deploy operation from other tools.

Database Administrator

1. A DBA can use SQL Server Management Studio to extract a DACPAC from an existing database, and also perform other DAC operations.
2. In addition, the DBA for a SQL Database can use the Management Portal for SQL Azure for DAC operations. Independent Software Vendor
3. Hosting services and other data management products for SQL Server can use the DACFx API for DAC operations.

IT Administrator

1. IT systems integrators and administrators can use the SqlPackage.exe command line tool for DAC operations.

Source infinitecodex
Source microsoft