SQL Server 2008 mirroring migration to SQL Server 2012 always on

Question

Quick question, request your input.

I am migrating a SQL Server 2008 R2 instance with database mirroring to SQL Server 2012 with always on.

Should I :

1. Restore the SQL Server 2008 R2 backup to SQL Server 2012 primary and mirror (with no recovery), setup the mirroring and then do the post upgrade steps like dbcc checkdb, update stats etc only on primary

   OR

2. Restore the SQL Server 2008 R2 backup to SQL Server 2012 primary. Complete the post upgrade steps like dbcc checkdb, update stats etc on primary. Then take fresh backup of this instance and setup the SQL Server 2012 always on on secondary.

Thank you in advance for your kind recommendations

Answer 1

It really depends on your downtime window.

My preferred steps would be :

• Create a full backup of the SQL Server 2008 R2 database and restore it on the SQL Server 2012.

• Perform all of the post-restore steps.

• Add the database to an Availability Group.

  • With modifications as per your environment, you can probably automatically add databases using T-SQL script.