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The JSON files are a natural fit, and they may just be able to be imported as is to DocumentDB. However, importing from a relational database like SQL Server is going to require some sort of transformation, meaning we need to somehow bridge the gap between the normalized data in SQL Server and its denormalized representation in DocumentDB.

Let’s take a look at a simple example in which we will see how the Migration Tool can import from a SQL Server database. In this example, we will import data from the AdventureWorks 2014 database. AdventureWorks is a popular sample database that you can download from CodePlex using the following steps.

Step 1 − Go to https://www.codeplex.com/

Step 2 − Search for the AdventureWorks 2014 in the search box.

Step 3 − Pick the recommended release for the sample databases.

The easiest download to choose is the recommended one, which is the Full Database Backup.

Step 4 − Click and save the zip file to any folder and extract the zip file which contains Database Backup file.

Step 5 − Open SQL Server Management Studio, connect to my local SQL Server instance and restore the backup.

Step 6 − Right-click Databases → Restore Database. Click ‘browse’ button.

You will see the following window.

Step 7 − Click the ‘Add’ button.

Step 8 − Browse the database backup file and click OK. Then OK one more time, and off goes the restore.

We’ve got a successful restore.

Well, this is a large database, and there sure are a lot of tables, so let’s take a look at the Views instead.

This looks a bit more manageable, and most of these views work by joining multiple related tables together, so let’s have a look at this one called vStoreWithAddresses, which is defined in the Sales schema.

We’re selecting from the view, which joins all the tables, and we’re filtering on AddressType, which gives us only the Main Offices.

SELECT 
   CAST(BusinessEntityID AS varchar) AS [id], 
   Name AS [name], 
   AddressType AS [address.addressType], 
   AddressLine1 AS [address.addressLine1], 
   City AS [address.location.city], 
   StateProvinceName AS [address.location.stateProvinceName], 
   PostalCode AS [address.postalCode], 
   CountryRegionName AS [address.countryRegionName] 
FROM 
   Sales.vStoreWithAddresses 
WHERE 
   AddressType='Main Office' 

When the above query is executed, you will receive the following output.

Let’s launch the GUI version Migration tool.

Step 1 − On the Welcome page, click ‘Next’ for the Source Information page.

Step 2 − Select the SQL from dropdown menu and specify the database connection string.

Step 3 − Click ‘Verify’ button.

If you specify the correct connection string, then it will display the successful message.

Step 4 − Enter the query which you want to import.

Step 5 − Click ‘Next’.

Step 6 − Specify the Connection String from your DocumentDB account which can be found from the Azure Portal.

Step 7 − Specify the Primary Connection String and don’t forget to add the database name at the end of connection string.

Step 8 − Specify the Collections to which you want to add the JSON files.

Step 9 − Click on the Advanced Options and scroll down the page.

Step 10 − Specify the indexing policy, let’s say Range indexing policy.

Step 11 − Click ‘Next’ to Continue.

Step 12 − Click ‘Next’ again to continue.

Step 13 − Here you can see the summary, now click the ‘Import’ button.

It will start importing data. Once it is completed, you can see on Azure Portal.