Importing bacpac file with 25000 tables on SQL Server fails with timeout

Question

I'd like to import a bacpac file that was exported from an 500MB DB that however has around 25000 tables. The bacpac itself is around 18MB.

Importing through the UI of SQL Server Management Studio fails with OutOfMemoryException so I'd use SqlPackage.exe the following way:

"C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft SQL Server\120\DAC\bin\SqlPackage.exe" /Action:Import /SourceFile:"path\to\MyDB.bacpac" /TargetConnectionString:"Data Source=localhost;Initial Catalog=MyDB;Integrated Security=True;"

I successfully used this command to do the import with previous (smaller, having fewer tables) versions of the DB, but now it fails with the below output. Can I do anything here?

Importing to database 'MyDB' on server 'localhost'.
Creating deployment plan
Initializing deployment
Verifying deployment plan
Analyzing deployment plan
Importing package schema and data into database
Updating database
An unexpected failure occurred: Data plan execution failed with message Unable t
o reconnect to database: Timeout expired.  The timeout period elapsed prior to c
ompletion of the operation or the server is not responding..

Unhandled Exception: Microsoft.SqlServer.Dac.Data.DataException: Data plan execu
tion failed with message Unable to reconnect to database: Timeout expired.  The
timeout period elapsed prior to completion of the operation or the server is not
 responding. ---> Microsoft.Data.Tools.Schema.Sql.SchemaModel.SqlReverseEngineer
Exception: Unable to reconnect to database: Timeout expired.  The timeout period
 elapsed prior to completion of the operation or the server is not responding. -
--> System.Data.SqlClient.SqlException: Timeout expired.  The timeout period ela
psed prior to completion of the operation or the server is not responding. --->
System.ComponentModel.Win32Exception: The wait operation timed out
   --- End of inner exception stack trace ---
   at System.Data.SqlClient.SqlConnection.OnError(SqlException exception, Boolea
n breakConnection, Action`1 wrapCloseInAction)
   at System.Data.SqlClient.TdsParser.ThrowExceptionAndWarning(TdsParserStateObj
ect stateObj, Boolean callerHasConnectionLock, Boolean asyncClose)
   at System.Data.SqlClient.TdsParser.TryRun(RunBehavior runBehavior, SqlCommand
 cmdHandler, SqlDataReader dataStream, BulkCopySimpleResultSet bulkCopyHandler,
TdsParserStateObject stateObj, Boolean& dataReady)
   at System.Data.SqlClient.SqlDataReader.TryConsumeMetaData()
   at System.Data.SqlClient.SqlDataReader.get_MetaData()
   at System.Data.SqlClient.SqlCommand.FinishExecuteReader(SqlDataReader ds, Run
Behavior runBehavior, String resetOptionsString)
   at System.Data.SqlClient.SqlCommand.RunExecuteReaderTds(CommandBehavior cmdBe
havior, RunBehavior runBehavior, Boolean returnStream, Boolean async, Int32 time
out, Task& task, Boolean asyncWrite, SqlDataReader ds, Boolean describeParameter
EncryptionRequest)
   at System.Data.SqlClient.SqlCommand.RunExecuteReader(CommandBehavior cmdBehav
ior, RunBehavior runBehavior, Boolean returnStream, String method, TaskCompletio
nSource`1 completion, Int32 timeout, Task& task, Boolean asyncWrite)
   at System.Data.SqlClient.SqlCommand.RunExecuteReader(CommandBehavior cmdBehav
ior, RunBehavior runBehavior, Boolean returnStream, String method)
   at System.Data.SqlClient.SqlCommand.ExecuteReader(CommandBehavior behavior, S
tring method)
   at System.Data.SqlClient.SqlCommand.ExecuteReader()
   at Microsoft.Data.Tools.Schema.Sql.SchemaModel.SqlReverseEngineerImpl.Execute
Populators(Tuple`2 connectionTuple, IList`1 populators, Int32 totalPopulatorsCou
nt, Int32 startIndex, Boolean progressAlreadyUpdated, ReverseEngineerOption opti
on, SqlReverseEngineerRequest request)
   --- End of inner exception stack trace ---
   at Microsoft.Data.Tools.Schema.Sql.SchemaModel.SqlReverseEngineerImpl.Execute
PopulatorsInPass(SqlReverseEngineerConnectionContext context, ReverseEngineerOpt
ion option, SqlReverseEngineerRequest request, Int32 totalCount, Tuple`2[] popul
atorsArray)
   at Microsoft.Data.Tools.Schema.Sql.SchemaModel.SqlReverseEngineerImpl.Populat
eBatch(SqlReverseEngineerConnectionContext context, SqlSchemaModel model, Revers
eEngineerOption option, ErrorManager errorManager, SqlReverseEngineerRequest req
uest, SqlImportScope importScope)
   at Microsoft.Data.Tools.Schema.Sql.SchemaModel.SqlReverseEngineer.PopulateEle
ments(SqlReverseEngineerConnectionContext context, DataSchemaModel model, Revers
eEngineerOption option, ErrorManager errorManager, SqlImportScope importScope, S
qlReverseEngineerRequest[] requests)
   at Microsoft.Data.Tools.Schema.Sql.Deployment.Steps.DacBulkCopyStep.GetImport
TableMetadata(ICollection`1 tables)
   at Microsoft.Data.Tools.Schema.Sql.Deployment.Steps.DacBulkCopyStep.Execute(I
DbConnection conn, CancellationToken token)
   at Microsoft.Data.Tools.Schema.Sql.Deployment.SqlPlanDeployment.Execute(Deplo
ymentPlanHandle plan, String connectionString, String targetDatabaseName, Boolea
n IsAzureTarget, String databaseScriptPath, String masterScriptPath, Cancellatio
nToken cancelToken)
   at Microsoft.SqlServer.Dac.Deployment.PlanExecutor.Execute(DeploymentPlan pla
n, SqlConnectionStringBuilder connectionString, Boolean isAzureTarget, LoggingCo
ntext loggingContext, CancellationToken cancelToken)
   --- End of inner exception stack trace ---
   at Microsoft.SqlServer.Dac.Deployment.PlanExecutor.Execute(DeploymentPlan pla
n, SqlConnectionStringBuilder connectionString, Boolean isAzureTarget, LoggingCo
ntext loggingContext, CancellationToken cancelToken)
   at Microsoft.SqlServer.Dac.DeployOperation.UpdateDatabaseData(LoggingContext
loggingContext, CancellationToken token)
   at Microsoft.SqlServer.Dac.DeployOperation.<>c__DisplayClass10.<>c__DisplayCl
ass12.<CreatePlanExecutionOperation>b__f()
   at Microsoft.Data.Tools.Schema.Sql.Dac.OperationLogger.Capture(Action action)

   at Microsoft.SqlServer.Dac.DeployOperation.<>c__DisplayClass10.<CreatePlanExe
cutionOperation>b__e(Object operation, CancellationToken token)
   at Microsoft.SqlServer.Dac.Operation.Microsoft.SqlServer.Dac.IOperation.Run(O
perationContext context)
   at Microsoft.SqlServer.Dac.ReportMessageOperation.Microsoft.SqlServer.Dac.IOp
eration.Run(OperationContext context)
   at Microsoft.SqlServer.Dac.DeployOperation.Microsoft.SqlServer.Dac.IOperation
.Run(OperationContext context)
   at Microsoft.SqlServer.Dac.OperationExtension.Execute(IOperation operation, D
acLoggingContext loggingContext, CancellationToken cancellationToken)
   at Microsoft.SqlServer.Dac.DacServices.InternalDeploy(IPackageSource packageS
ource, Boolean isDacpac, String targetDatabaseName, DacDeployOptions options, Ca
ncellationToken cancellationToken, DacLoggingContext loggingContext)
   at Microsoft.SqlServer.Dac.DacServices.ImportBacpac(BacPackage package, Strin
g targetDatabaseName, DacImportOptions importOptions, Nullable`1 cancellationTok
en)
   at Microsoft.Data.Tools.Schema.CommandLineTool.Program.DoImportBacpacOperatio
n(CommandLineArguments parsedArgs)
   at Microsoft.Data.Tools.Schema.CommandLineTool.Program.PerformAction(CommandL
ineArguments parsedArgs)
   at Microsoft.Data.Tools.Schema.CommandLineTool.Program.Run(String[] args)
   at Microsoft.Data.Tools.Schema.CommandLineTool.Program.Main(String[] args)

Answer 1

It turns out that the solutions is as simple as specifying a larger timeout. It does matter which timeout though (there are several timeout switches for SqlPackage.exe and it's neither the connection timeout specifiable in a connection string), it's CommandTimeout. The below modified command won't fail even with a bacpac containing a large number of tables (notice the last, newly added switch):

"C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft SQL Server\120\DAC\bin\SqlPackage.exe" /Action:Import /SourceFile:"path\to\MyDB.bacpac" /TargetConnectionString:"Data Source=localhost;Initial Catalog=MyDB;Integrated Security=True;" /p:CommandTimeout="0"

"0" means no timeout, so this is only applicable when there is no danger if the operations gets stuck or runs for an unexpectedly long time, like importing the bacpac locally for development like I do.