Getting Started with SQL Server 2008 R2 - Microsoft SQL Server 2008 R2 Administration - page 23

F The build process of the DAC package can be accomplished by using Data-Tier
application project system in Visual Studio application.
F The data management process of the DAC package can be accomplished by using
SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS). The DAC deployment installs a new
database on the instance, creates the database objects, and creates the logins
associated with the users of the database.
F If a previous version of the DAC is already available, the DAC package can be used to
upgrade the existing DAC instance to a newer version.

How to do it...

The Extract Data-tier application process creates a DAC package from a database. To extract a
DAC package, perform the following steps:

1. Register the instance of SQL Server. In the Object Explorer pane, click on Connect
and follow the instructions in the Connect to Server dialog box.
2. In Object Explorer, select the node of the instance from which you want to extract a
data-tier application and expand its Databases node.

3. Select the database for the extraction. Right-click the databases node, point to

Tasks, and then click Extract Data-tier Application to launch the Extract Data-tier
Application Wizard.

4. On the Set Properties page (shown in the next screenshot), review or change the

properties and then click on Next. These properties are displayed in Visual Studio
and in SQL Server Management Studio and are used as follows:
Application Name: It identifies the application. For example, if a database
called FinanceDB serves the Finance application, the application name
should be set to Finance. The application name is used when a data-tier
application is upgraded. In order to upgrade a DAC V1 to a DAC V2, the
application names of V1 and V2 must be identical.
Version: It's the version of the data-tier application. By default, the version
number is 1.0.0.0.
Description: Optional.