Allow eGroup to perform a “SQL Server Health Check” to get your SQL Server to the latest service pack and patch levels while modeling current database configuration, performance and data protection.  Comparing those results to best practice architecture and configuration to ensure your datbaase is scalable for the future and performing optimally.  Most importantly, protecting your businesses most critical asset, its DATA!

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1. The number one step is to install Database Services and SQL Server Reporting Services on the target machine to be migrated to.  Making sure the service packs are all up to date on both instances is always a good step as well.  When asked, select to create a default SSRS instance.
2. The next step is to Backup the ReportServer and ReportServerTempDB databases on the source machine.
3. Back up the Report Server encryption key on the source machine.  To accomplish this start the Report Server Configuration Tool and navigate to the encryption keys section.  This will require you to enter a password for the key.  This password will be needed later when restoring the encryption key to the target server.
4. On the target Server.  Restore both the ReportServer and ReportServerTempDB databases with the overwrite option to overwrite the default config machines created in step one.
5. Open up Server Manager and navigate to the Services Console.  Change the service accounts for SQL Server and Reporting Services to the desired accounts matching them up with the source server.
6. Open up the command prompt and type “RSKeyMgmt -l” to get a list of the stored encryption keys on the target server.
7. Delete all of these keys with the command “RSKeyMgmt -r <keyid>”.  Repeat this command for all the key ids listed.
8. Go to SQL Report Server Configuration tool on the target server and configure all services and tabs to mimick the credentials and settings of the source server.
9. On the Encryption keys tab, import the encryption key backed up from that source server using the password you specified.
10. Navigate to C:Program FilesMicrosoft SQL ServerMSSQL.xReporting ServicesReport Serverrsreportserver.cfg and edit that xml file.  Delete the encrypted values in the “username”,”pwd” and “domain” sections.  Replace this with the appropriate domain credentials and save the config file.
11. Restart IIS and navigate to the new servers report address.  http://targetserver/reports

Below is a good MSFT Knowledgebase article on how to do this as well although there are some omissions.

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/842425

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• Include configuration data in your normal SQL backup routine by backing up the configuration database.
• More familiar for DBAs and Programmers.  Use TSQL statements to update large amounts of configuration data quickly.
• Manage multiple configuration scenarios across production, test and development environments by having local configuration databases on each allowing you to seamlessly move packages from environment to environment.

Now that the benefits have been laid out and the overall benefits of having completely mobile platform to develop and deploy SSIS packages on are apparent.  We can take a look at what we will need to do to set up packages to utilize this layout.  Configuration of a package can be completed in three steps.

1. Create a Environment Variable on the datbase server to reference the location of the SSIS Configuration database.
2. Create the SSIS Configuration Database.
3. Build/Modify packages to utilize this new configuration data.

Step 1:  Creating a Environment Variable on the database server to reference the location of the SSIS Configuration database.

To achieve this we must have planned out what we will call the configuration database in step 2.  For this example we will use “SSISConfig” as the database to house our configuration data.  In order to create the environment variable we will use the built in Windows Control Panel System Manager.  Go to Control Panel -> System -> Advanced -> Environment Variables.  Select Create New.  In the name field use SSIS_CONFIG and in the value use

“Data Source=localhost;Initial Catalog=SSISConfig;Provider=SQLNCLI.1;Integrated Security=SSPI;Auto Translate=False;”

save the environment variable then exit out of control panel.  This has set up a Environment Variable we can use to point to the location of our config database within our SSIS packages.

Step 2:  Create the SSIS Configuration Database.

Using SQL Management Studio.  Create an new database.  For this example we called it SSISConfig.  Also, if no other databases with test data exist on the server, create a test database (no data necessary) to connect to.  For this example we will call it SSISTestData.

Step 3:  Build/Modify packages to utilize this new configuration data.

Now comes the fun part.

1. Open up BIDS (Business Intelligence Design Studio) and create a new project (SSISTest)
2. Add a connection manager to the default package for the SSISConfig database.  Do this by right clicking in the Control View and selecting New Connection, Add, and specifying the SSISConfig database.
3. Repeat Step 2 for the SSISTestData database connection.
4. Go over to the Package Explorer tab and make sure they appear under Connection Managers.  If not you most likely did not select them after creating them in steps 2 and 3.  Go back and make sure they are highlighted in the list and select “Add”.
5. Back in Control Flow Panel.  Right Click and select Package Configuration
6. Check off “Enable Congfiguration”
7. Add a new “Environment Variable” package configuration and specify the SSIS_CONFIG Environment Variable.
8. On the next screen target the connection string of SSISConfig Connection as the target of the package configuration.
9. Save that configuration and Add a new “SQL configuration”.
10. Specify the SSISConfig as the connection.
11. Select New next to the configuration table and use the default options (or make changes as necessary if you like)
12. Select the configuration filter to be the SSISTestData connection

You now have a database configured connection string where the connections database is specified in an environment variable on the machine.  This makes the package configurations and the configuration database portable and easy to manage from any server location.

Good luck.  Leave comments with any questions.

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Those have been covered alot and more than likely you have already tried some of them.  One option that I found that wasn’t reported on as often but has fixed my problems in a few installations is force IIS to use NTLM as your authentication method.  If you are attempting to use NTLM as your authentication method and you are getting a 401.1 Authentication error or the above error message from SharePoint.  Follow these steps and see if your issue isn’t resolved.  By this time you have beaten your head against the wall for about a day as I have and anything is worth a shot.  This was the magic bullet for me.

1. Open up the command line.
2. Navigate to C:inetpubAdminScripts
3. exceute the following command (and restart IIS afterwards for good measure)

     cscript adsutil.vbs set w3svc/NTAuthenticationProviders “NTLM”

Navigate back to the MOSS Central Administration Site and see if you are still receiving the error.

Good Luck!

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