MKsql server / problems / migration-readiness
Most migration plans look reasonable right up until someone asks what depends on the instance and how rollback really works.
Start here if a SQL Server move is coming, but the team still needs to prove the plan is strong enough. The key question is not which migration method sounds smartest. It is whether discovery, dependency mapping, rehearsal, cutover, validation, and rollback are solid enough that the live window does not become the first real test.
Related
Use the SQL Server migration guide for the deeper cutover path, the SQL Server upgrade guide when the move is partly version-driven, the SQL Server recovery guide when rollback and restore posture are part of the same work, and SQL Server upgrade support when the plan needs a second set of eyes before the move becomes expensive to undo.
What it usually looks like
Common cause classes
Safe first checks
Why this page exists
Teams usually land here because the move is real enough to have a target date, but not yet trustworthy enough to relax. The common gaps are familiar: missing dependency inventory, vague cutover sequencing, rollback that sounds easy because nobody has timed it, or a dry run that never happened because the plan still looks neat in a spreadsheet.
That is why this page stays practical. Migration readiness is not about naming a method and hoping the team fills in the blanks later. It is about proving that discovery, rehearsal, cutover, validation, and rollback are all strong enough to survive a real production window.
Best deeper pages
Longer review of inventory, compatibility, rehearsal, cutover design, rollback, and post-move validation.
Read this if the move is partly version-driven and you need to separate upgrade planning from the broader migration work.
Open this if rollback, restore timing, and incident posture are part of what makes the migration plan believable.
When outside help makes sense
This review helps when the move is large enough that the current team wants the plan challenged before the live window, or when cutover and rollback logic need tightening before the migration becomes an expensive improvisation exercise.
Dependencies, rollback, or rehearsal still feel too vague for a live move.
You need one review that connects discovery, cutover, validation, and recovery posture.
The goal is to reduce migration risk before the date gets locked in harder.
Next step
If the migration plan needs tightening before the live move, use SQL Server upgrade support or go straight to contact with the target move, what has already been rehearsed, and where the current plan still feels weak.
If you need the wider migration path first, start with the SQL Server migration guide.
If the main pain is a damaged version-change attempt rather than a wider move, switch to SQL Server failed upgrade.