Dacpac

As explained in 100 SQL Server Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

A dacpac file is a SQL Server database deployment package containing XML definitions of database objects.

A dacpac is a SQL Server deployment package produced by building a database project. It contains XML definitions of database objects inside a zip-format file. section 7.6.2

Use a dacpac as a controlled deployment artifact:

• Build services create the dacpac after source-controlled changes and tests succeed. section 7.6.2
• Deployment services publish the dacpac through release environments such as development or integration testing. section 7.6.2
• Registering the database as a data-tier application can enable deployment blocking when the target has drifted. section 7.6.2

Inspecting a dacpac

Change the .dacpac extension to .zip to explore the XML files containing the database object definitions. section 7.6.2

Figure 7.9 CI/CD process

Follow the CI/CD process from source-controlled database changes through build, package creation, and deployment. section 7.6.2

How 100 SQL Server Mistakes and How to Avoid Them covers it

How deep it goes

Defines the zip and XML structure and places creation within build services, but does not detail deployment internals.

Examples

Uses Visual Studio publishing, the Register As a Data-tier Application option, and renaming a dacpac to .zip for inspection.

What you can do after

Apply it via CI/CD tooling to package and promote database changes across release environments.

How it connects

Links database projects with CI/CD pipelines, source control, unit testing, deployment services, and database drift.

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Also explained in

• 

  liveBookmanning.com
  Learn Docker in a Month of Lunches, Second EditionA DACPAC is a binary data-tier application package that contains the schema definition of a SQL Server database.

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Related concepts

• deployment artifactkind of · A deployment artifact is a software output, such as a file, package, or image, prepared for distribution, installation, execution, or deployment.
• SQL scriptproduced by · An SQL script is a file or command sequence containing SQL statements for defining, querying, initializing, or modifying database structures and data.
• build serviceproduced by · A build service is an automated service that compiles or packages software and executes associated validation steps.
• SQL Serveruses · SQL Server is Microsoft's relational database management system for storing, querying, transforming, and managing structured data.

This explainer was generated by Manning's knowledge graph from the text of 100 SQL Server Mistakes and How to Avoid Them. The section links point to the parts of the book it draws on.