Can I Manage Only a Portion of my Database with a Database Project?

Question

We have a third-party SQL Server 2008 database that we have extended with our own tables, sprocs, etc. We would like to use a Visual Studio Database Project to manage our extension objects, but NOT the objects that are part of the third-party database.

If I create a project with only our objects in it, when I go to deploy they error out because VS thinks that the tables they are referencing (which are part of the original database) do not exist (because they are not part of the project).

I tried to create a DACPAC for the original database and just reference that, but there are new kinds of objects there, it looks like, which can't be pushed into it. I also have tried to just do a full schema compare and add all the third-party db objects into my project, but there are so many objects it appears to bomb VS. I will try that again today using a local database to see if perhaps there was a network issue contributing to that problem.

I'm not opposed to turning off those kinds of errors, if that is possible. I'd appreciate any suggestions.

Answer 1

So the answer was the DACPAC. I had tried with two different databases, to use the tool that is in the context menu for databases in SSMS, where you Extract a data-tier application, and both those databases failed. Following another post on S.O. I discovered this command-line tool, SqlPackage, that ships with SQL Server 2008. Here is a link that explains how to utilize it. Anyway I ran it against each of those databases and it didn't even hiccup. Nailed them both.

For me the application was located at: C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft SQL Server\110\DAC\bin

After you create the DACPAC files, copy them somewhere in your project, then do "Add Database Reference" either from the project menu or context-menu for the References node in the Solution Explorer. Add the reference, and remove the variable name it gives you. Select "Same Database" in the drop-down and you will see at the bottom what a sample query will look like. Hit OK and it sets it all up for you. All the referential errors disappear. Problem solved.