DACPAC refers to a Data-Tier Application Package, which is essentially a compressed file that includes a data model or database objects. It is compatible with SQL Server Data Tools (SSDT) database projects and is used for versioning and deploying SQL Server or Azure SQL databases with the help of Azure DevOps CI/CD pipelines. DACPAC files are crucial when migrating your on-premise SQL Server database to Azure SQL database. Additionally, they can be utilized to create projects in Visual Studio and deploy database code using CI/CD tools such as Azure DevOps. This article will show how to open DACPAC file in Visual Studio.
How to create a DACPAC file.
To create a DACPAC file from an existing SQL Server or Azure SQL database, you must ensure certain things. Refer to this post to learn how to create a DACPAC file.
Follow the below steps to open DACPAC file in Visual Studio.
Pre-requisites:
1. Visual Studio with SSDT extension installed.
1. Create a new blank project in Visual Studio
1. Open Visual Studio, click on the File menu item, and Select ‘New’ – > ‘Project’ as shown in the below image.
2. Select the project type as ‘SQL Server Database Project’. Provide the name to the project and Click OK.
This should create a blank database project in Visual Studio.
2. Import DACPAC file into the database project
1. Right-click on the project we just created in the previous step. Click ‘Import’ – > ‘Data tier Application (*.dacpac)’ option.
2. Browse the .dacpac file you want to unpack in the Visual Studio project. Click Start to begin the import process.
3. if there are no errors, you will see the progress shown in the image below.
4. You should see all database objects from the DACPAC under the project.
Pro tips:
1. It is advisable to always review the content of a DACPAC file before publishing it to a SQL Server or Azure SQL database.
2. If Visual Studio is not installed on your system and you wish to access the contents of a DACPAC file, you can do so by renaming the file with a .zip extension. This will enable you to extract the contents of the file and directly view the database objects in File Explorer.
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Kunal Rathi
With over a decade of experience in data engineering and analytics, I've assisted countless clients in gaining valuable insights from their data. As a dedicated supporter of Data, Cloud and DevOps, I'm excited to connect with individuals who share my passion for this field. If my work resonates with you, we can talk and collaborate.
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