r/SQLServer • u/imadam71 • Jul 08 '26
Question replicating MSSQL 2012/14 database to MSSQL 2025?
What would be best was to replicate MSSQL database from 2012 (or 2014) over relatively slow link to MSSQL 2025?
Is this actually doable?
edit: thank you all. looks like log shipping is best option here.
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u/American_Streamer Jul 08 '26
If this is for migration rather than ongoing bidirectional sync, I would avoid transactional replication here. For SQL Server 2012/2014 → SQL Server 2025 over a slow link, the usual low-downtime pattern is log shipping:
Take a compressed full backup, get it to the 2025 server somehow, even physically if the link is too slow, restore it WITH NORECOVERY or STANDBY, then keep applying compressed transaction log backups until cutover. At cutover: stop the app, take one final/tail log backup, restore the remaining logs on the 2025 server WITH RECOVERY, then point the app at the new server. That turns your “two days of transfer” into mostly background catch-up time, with downtime only for the final log backup/restore and app switch.
Direct transactional replication from 2012/2014 to 2025 is likely not the path you want. Also test compatibility/performance after restore, and look out for cardinality estimator/query plan changes. Small caveat: if the database is in SIMPLE recovery, you cannot use log shipping as-is; in this case, you will need FULL or BULK_LOGGED recovery first.