Converting SAP ASE database objects (SybaseToSQL)

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After you have connected to SAP Adaptive Server Enterprise (ASE), connected to SQL Server or Azure SQL and set project and data mapping options, you can convert SAP Adaptive Server Enterprise (ASE) database objects to SQL Server or Azure SQL database objects.

The conversion process

Converting database objects takes the object definitions from ASE, converts them to similar SQL Server or SQL Azure objects, and then loads this information into the SSMA metadata. It does not load the information into the instance of SQL Server or Azure SQL. You can then view the objects and their properties by using the SQL Server or Azure SQL Metadata Explorer.

During the conversion, SSMA prints output messages to the Output pane and error messages to the Error List pane. Use the output and error information to determine whether you have to modify your ASE databases or your conversion process to obtain the desired conversion results.

Setting conversion options

Before converting objects, review the project conversion options in the Project Settings dialog box. By using this dialog box, you can set how SSMA converts functions and global variables. For more information, see Project Settings (Conversion) (SybaseToSQL).

Converting ASE database objects

To convert ASE database objects, first select the objects you want to convert, and then have SSMA perform the conversion. To view output messages during the conversion, on the View menu, select Output.

To convert ASE objects to SQL Server or SQL Azure syntax

  1. In Sybase Metadata Explorer, expand the ASE server, and then expand Databases.

  2. Select objects to convert:

    • To convert all databases, select the check box next to Databases.

    • To convert or omit a database, select or clear the check box next to the database name.

    • To convert or omit individual schemas, expand the database, expand Schemas, and then select or clear the check box next to the schema.

    • To convert or omit a category of objects, expand the schema, and then select or clear the check box next to the category.

    • To convert or omit individual objects, expand the category folder, and then select or clear the check box next to the object.

  3. To convert all selected objects, right-click Databases, and then select Convert Schema.

    You can also convert individual objects or categories of objects by right-clicking the object or its containing folder, and then selecting Convert Schema.

Note

Some of the SAP ASE system functions do not exactly match the equivalent SQL Server system functions in behavior. To emulate the SAP ASE behavior, SSMA generates User Defined functions in the converted SQL Server database under a schema called 's2ss'. Depending on the project settings, some of the SQL Server system functions are replaced with these emulated functions. SSMA creates the following user-defined functions:

char_length_nvarchar
char_length_varchar
charindex_nvarchar
charindex_varchar
hextoint
index_colorder

inttohex
ssma_current_time
ssma_datediff
ssma_datepart
substring_nvarchar
substring_varbinary

substring_varchar
to_unichar
uhighsurr
ulowsurr

Objects not supported in Azure SQL

The following T-SQL keywords are used by SSMA for SAP ASE during conversion to SQL Server on-premises, but these keywords are not supported by SQL Azure T-SQL syntax:

CHECKPOINT
CREATE/ALTER/DROP DEFAULT
CREATE/DROP RULE
DBCC TRACEOFF
DBCC TRACEON

GRANT/REVOKE/DENY ALL
KILL
READTEXT
SELECT INTO
SET OFFSETS

SETUSER
SHUTDOWN
WRITETEXT

Viewing conversion problems

Some SAP ASE objects might not convert. You can determine the conversion success rates by viewing the summary conversion report.

To view a summary report

  1. In Sybase Metadata Explorer, select Databases.

  2. In the right pane, select the Report tab.

    This report shows the summary assessment report for all database objects that have been assessed or converted. You can also view a summary report for individual objects:

    • To view the report for an individual database, select the database in Sybase Metadata Explorer.

    • To view the report for an individual database object, select the object in Sybase Metadata Explorer. Objects that have conversion problems have a red error icon.

For objects that failed conversion, you can view the syntax that resulted in the conversion failure.

To view individual conversion problems

  1. In Sybase Metadata Explorer, expand Databases.

  2. Expand the database that shows a red error icon.

  3. Expand the Schemas folder, and then expand the schema that shows a red error icon.

  4. Under the schema, expand a folder that has a red error icon.

  5. Select the object that has a red error icon.

  6. In the right pane, select the Report tab.

  7. At the top of the Report tab is a drop-down list. If the list shows Statistics, change the selection to Source.

    SSMA will display the source code and several buttons immediately above the code.

  8. Select Next Problem, a red error icon with an arrow pointing to the right.

    SSMA for SAP ASE will highlight the first problematic source code it finds in the current object.

For each item that could not be converted, you have to determine what you want to do with that object:

  • You can edit the source code for procedures and triggers on the SQL tab.

  • You can alter the SAP ASE object to remove or revise problematic code. To load the updated code into SSMA, you have to update the metadata. For more information, see Connecting to SAP ASE (SybaseToSQL).

  • You can exclude the object from migration. In SQL Server or Azure SQL Metadata Explorer and Sybase Metadata Explorer, clear the check box next to the item before loading the objects into SQL Server or Azure SQL and migrating data from SAP ASE.

Next steps

The next step in the migration process is Loading Converted Database Objects into SQL Server/ SQL Azure (SybaseToSQL).

See also

Migrating SAP ASE Databases to SQL Server - Azure SQL Database (SybaseToSQL)