Export and Import DQS Knowledge Bases Using DQSInstaller.exe

Applies to: SQL Server - Windows only

For an existing installation of DQS, you can export all the knowledge bases in your Data Quality Server to a DQS backup file (.dqsb) at once, and then later use the .dqsb file to import all the knowledge bases to a different Data Quality Server at once by running the DQSInstaller.exe file from the command prompt. For more information about running DQSInstaller.exe from the command prompt, see Run DQSInstaller.exe from Command Prompt in Run DQSInstaller.exe to Complete Data Quality Server Installation.

This feature enables you to take a backup of all your knowledge bases in Data Quality Server at once without having to individually export each knowledge base to a .dqs file by using Data Quality Client. Similarly, you can import all the knowledge bases from the backup file into another Data Quality Server at once without having to individually import each knowledge base from a .dqs file by using Data Quality Client. This is particularly useful for backing up and restoring your knowledge bases when you are uninstalling Data Quality Server on a computer, and then reinstalling it on a different computer. You can easily export all the knowledge bases in an existing installation of Data Quality Server to a DQS backup file (.dqsb), and then import all the knowledge bases from the backup file after installing Data Quality Server on a different computer.

Exporting Knowledge Bases to .dqsb File

You can export all the knowledge bases in the existing Data Quality Server at any time or while uninstalling Data Quality Server.

  • To export all the knowledge bases in a Data Quality Server to a DQS backup file (.dqsb), run DQSInstaller.exe with the exportkbs parameter from the command prompt, along with the full path and file name where you want to export the knowledge bases. For example, to export all the knowledge bases to the DQSBackup.dqsb file in the C: drive:

    dqsinstaller.exe -exportkbs c:\DQSBackup.dqsb  
    

    Note

    If the provided file name already exists at the specified location, the installer prompts you whether to overwrite the file.

  • To export all the knowledge bases to a DQS backup file while uninstalling Data Quality Server, run DQSInstaller.exe with the uninstall parameter from the command prompt, along with the full path and file name where you want to export the knowledge bases. For example, to export all the knowledge bases to the DQSBackup.dqsb file in the C: drive, and then uninstall Data Quality Server:

    dqsinstaller.exe -uninstall c:\DQSBackup.dqsb  
    

    Note

    If you do not specify the full path and file name of the DQS backup file while uninstalling Data Quality Server from the command prompt using the uninstall parameter, a message is displayed stating that all the knowledge bases will be deleted, and allows you to choose whether to continue with the uninstall process.

Importing Knowledge Bases from .dqsb File

You can import all the knowledge bases from a DQS backup file (.dqsb) after completing the Data Quality Server installation. To import knowledge bases, you must have a valid DQS backup file (.dqsb).

Run the DQSInstaller.exe file with the importkbs parameter from the command prompt, along with the full path and file name from where you want to import the knowledge bases. For example, to import all the knowledge bases from the DQSBackup.dqsb file in the C: drive:

dqsinstaller.exe -importkbs c:\DQSBackup.dqsb  

If there are existing knowledge bases in your Data Quality Server with the same name as the ones you are importing, the names of the imported knowledge bases will be appended with an underscore (_) followed by an integer value starting with 1. For example, if the "CompanyName" domain is duplicate, the imported domain name will be "CompanyName_1."

See Also

Run DQSInstaller.exe to Complete Data Quality Server Installation
Install Data Quality Services
Export a Knowledge Base to a .dqs File
Import a Knowledge Base from a .dqs File