Moving SQL Server database to a new disk while online I have a 1.4TB SQL Server Database that's struggling massively with disk I/O. We've installed a new SSD array into the server that will solve all of our problems, we're just debating the best way to move the database across. Ideally if we can do it without downtime, that's best. But where the choice is between two days of poor performance (e.g. while copying data) versus two hours of downtime, the latter might be preferable.

So far, the solutions we've come up with are:


Simple copy. Take the DB offline, copy the files across, change the locations in SQL Server and bring it back online. Rough figures estimate this will take up to five hours, which is not really acceptable, but it is the easiest solution.
Block-level copy. Using an rsync-like utility, we copy the files across in the background while the DB is up. When we're ready to migrate, we take the DB offline, do a differential copy across using this utility, then point SQL server at the new files and bring it online. Timing here is unknown. We don't know how long it will take to do a differential analysis of 1.4TB and copy that across. Our other concern is that the block-level copy will leave the files in some state unreadable by SQL Server and we'll have waste our time.
SQL migration. Create a new 1.4TB SQL data file on the new disk and disable autogrowth on all of the other files. Then run DBBC SHRINKFILE(-file_name-, EMPTYFILE) on all of the other data files in turn. Once all of the data is across, I'll take a scheduled window at some point to move the MDF file over to the SSD and remove the other unused files. I like this because it minimises downtime. But I have no idea how long this will take and whether it will cause degradation in performance while it's happening.


We don't have any kind of load &amp; performance environment to test this. I can verify that the strategies will work on our staging environment, but not the impact and not the performance.
One method to move the entire database is with BACKUP and RESTORE.  The database will be unavailable during the final switch but downtime should be minimal with planning.  This procedure assumes the FULL or BULK_LOGGED recovery model:

1) Perform a FULL backup (or use your existing one).

2) Restore latest full backup to a different database name, specifying the WITH MOVE option to relocate files on SSD storage as desired and the NORECOVERY option so that subsequent differential and log backups can be restored.

3) Apply incremental changes to the new database until the time of the final cut-over with transaction log backups and RESTORE...WITH NORECOVERY.  This will minimize downtime for the final switch to the new database.

4) To switch to the new database, take the application offline, perform a final transaction log backup, and apply to the new database WITH RECOVERY.  Finally, rename the original database to a different name and rename the relocated database to the original name.  Drop the old database at your convenience.

In the SIMPLE recovery model, you could use a similar process but without the step 3 transaction log backup/restores.  Instead, use a differential database backup/restore in the final step.  That may require more downtime, depending on the amount of changes since the initial FULL backup.