[KB7447] Upgrade the MS SQL Express 2008 database to the latest version (ERA/ESMC/ESET PROTECT)

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[KB7447] Upgrade the MS SQL Express 2008 database to the latest version (ERA/ESMC/ESET PROTECT)

Issue

You are using ERA 6.5 or ESMC 7.0 with MS SQL 2008 R2 Express (64-bit) and want to upgrade to the latest version of ESET PROTECT 8
In ESMC version 7.1 and later, MS SQL 2008 R2 is no longer supported, so you need to upgrade your database to a supported version

Details

New name - ESET Security Management Center 7.x has been renamed to ESET PROTECT 8.x. Products and services are evolving to cover new markets and customer needs, and we have decided to rename our solution to better accommodate the current and new capabilities that we have planned.

Database purpose

If you use the database for purposes other than ESET Remote Administrator, ESET Security Management Center or ESET PROTECT, do not follow this article.

If you are using MS SQL 2008 R2 Express (64-bit), which was distributed with ERA 6.x, install MS SQL Server 2008 R2 Express SP3 first. Afterward, you can directly upgrade the database up to the MS SQL 2017 version.
SQL Server 2017 (14.x) is only available for 64-bit platforms, and cross-platform (32-bit to 64-bit) upgrade is not supported.

Solution

Earlier version of ERA 6.X

If you are using an earlier version of ERA, you must upgrade to version 6.5 before upgrading to ESET PROTECT. Visit our Online Help topic for additional information on supported databases.

Database backup

Make sure to backup your database before the upgrade. If you run the SQL server on a virtual machine, create a snapshot of the machine before the upgrade.

Installing MS SQL Server 2008 R2 SP3

Download the Microsoft SQL Server 2008 R2 Service Pack 3 installer.
Run the installer.
The SQL installer checks your installation first. When it is completed, click Next.

Figure 1-1

To continue the installation, click I accept the license terms and click Next.

Figure 1-2

In the Select Features window, click Next.

Figure 1-3

In the Check Files in Use window, click Next.

Figure 1-4

Click Update to install Service Pack 3.

Figure 1-5

After the successful update, click Close.

Figure 1-6

Upgrading the database to SQL Server 2017 Express

Download the SQL Server 2017 Express net installer.
Run the installer.
Select Basic and wait until the full installer downloads.

Figure 2-1

Select Upgrade from a previous version of SQL Server.

Figure 2-2

To continue the installation, click I accept the license terms and click Next.

Figure 2-3

In the Upgrade Rules window, click Next.

Figure 2-4

In the Select Instance window, click Next.

Figure 2-5

Service Pack error

If you did not install Service Pack 3, the installer will display the following error:

Figure 2-6

To fix the error, install MS SQL 2008 R2 SP3 and run the MS SQL 2017 installer again.

After the successful update, click Close.

Figure 2-7

Upgrade from version 2017 to the MS SQL Server 2019 Express (optional)

After the upgrade to version 2017, you can upgrade to version 2019. This upgrade is optional and is not necessary to be compatible with ESET PROTECT.

Download the SQL Server 2019 Express net installer.
Run the installer.
Select Basic and wait until the full installer downloads. Once downloaded, Accept the License Terms.

Figure 3-1

Click Install to start the upgrade.

Figure 3-2

When the upgrade is finished, restart your computer.
After the restart, make sure that ERA is still working correctly and you can proceed to the upgrade of ERA to ESET PROTECT.

Last Updated: Jan 19, 2021