Microsoft SQL Server (MS SQL) to PostgreSQL Migration

SQLines provides tools to help you transfer data, convert database schema (DDL), views, stored procedures, functions, triggers, queries and SQL scripts from Microsoft SQL Server (MSSQL, MS SQL) to PostgreSQL.

Databases:

Microsoft SQL Server 2019, 2017, 2016, 2014, 2012, 2008, 2005 and 2000
PostgreSQL 13.x, 12.x, 11.x, 10.x and 9.x

Migration Reference

Data Types

Converting data types:

	SQL Server		PostgreSQL
1	BIGINT	64-bit integer	BIGINT
2	BINARY(n)	Fixed-length byte string	BYTEA
3	BIT	1, 0 or NULL	BOOLEAN
4	CHAR(n), CHARACTER(n)	Fixed-length character string, 1 ⇐ n ⇐ 8000	CHAR(n), CHARACTER(n)
5	DATE	Date (year, month and day)	DATE
6	DATETIME	Date and time with fraction	TIMESTAMP(3)
7	DATETIME2(p)	Date and time with fraction	TIMESTAMP(p)
8	DATETIMEOFFSET(p)	Date and time with fraction and time zone	TIMESTAMP(p) WITH TIME ZONE
9	DECIMAL(p,s), DEC(p,s)	Fixed-point number	DECIMAL(p,s), DEC(p,s)
10	DOUBLE PRECISION	Double-precision floating-point number	DOUBLE PRECISION
11	FLOAT(p)	Floating-point number	DOUBLE PRECISION
12	IMAGE	Variable-length binary data, ⇐ 2G	BYTEA
13	INT, INTEGER	32-bit integer	INT, INTEGER
14	MONEY	64-bit currency amount	MONEY
15	NCHAR(n)	Fixed-length Unicode UCS-2 string	CHAR(n)
16	NTEXT	Variable-length Unicode UCS-2 data, ⇐ 2G	TEXT
17	NUMERIC(p,s)	Fixed-point number	NUMERIC(p,s)
18	NVARCHAR(n)	Variable-length Unicode UCS-2 string	VARCHAR(n)
19	NVARCHAR(max)	Variable-length Unicode UCS-2 data, ⇐ 2G	TEXT
20	REAL	Single-precision floating-point number	REAL
21	ROWVERSION	Automatically updated binary data	BYTEA
22	SMALLDATETIME	Date and time	TIMESTAMP(0)
23	SMALLINT	16-bit integer	SMALLINT
24	SMALLMONEY	32-bit currency amount	MONEY
25	TEXT	Variable-length character data, ⇐ 2G	TEXT
26	TIME(p)	Time (hour, minute, second and fraction)	TIME(p)
27	TIMESTAMP	Automatically updated binary data	BYTEA
28	TINYINT	8-bit unsigned integer, 0 to 255	SMALLINT
29	UNIQUEIDENTIFIER	16-byte GUID (UUID) data	CHAR(16)
30	VARBINARY(n)	Variable-length byte string, 1 ⇐ n ⇐ 8000	BYTEA
31	VARBINARY(max)	Variable-length binary data, ⇐ 2G	BYTEA
32	VARCHAR(n)	Variable-length character string, 1 ⇐ n ⇐ 8000	VARCHAR(n)
33	VARCHAR(max)	Variable-length character data, ⇐ 2G	TEXT
34	XML	XML data	XML

Built-in SQL Functions

Converting SQL functions:

	SQL Server		PostgreSQL
1	DATEADD	Add an interval to datetime	INTERVAL expression
2	ISNULL(exp, replacement)	Replace NULL with the specified value	COALESCE(exp, replacement)

CREATE TABLE Statement

Converting table definitions:

	SQL Server		PostgreSQL
1	PRIMARY KEY (col ASC, … )	Primary key	PRIMARY KEY (col, … )	ASC, DESC cannot be specified for constraint

ALTER TABLE Statement

Converting table modifications:

	SQL Server		PostgreSQL
1	ALTER TABLE name ADD CONSTRAINT cns DEFAULT expr FOR col	Add default for a column	ALTER TABLE name ALTER COLUMN col SET DEFAULT expr
2	ALTER TABLE name WITH CHECK \| NOCHECK ADD CONSTRAINT …	Check existing data	WITH CHECK \| NOCHECK options not supported, removed

SQL Statements

Converting SQL statements from SQL Server to PostgreSQL:

	SQL Server		PostgreSQL
1	USE name	Change the database	SET SCHEMA 'name'	If databases are mapped to schemas

System Procedures

Converting system procedure calls from SQL Server to PostgreSQL:

	SQL Server		PostgreSQL
1	sp_addextendedproperty 'MS_Description', 'Table comment', … 'table', 'tab_name'	Comment on table	COMMENT ON TABLE tab_name IS 'Table comment'
2	sp_addextendedproperty 'MS_Description', 'Column comment', … 'table', 'tab_name', 'column', 'col_name'	Comment on column	COMMENT ON COLUMN tab_name.col_name IS 'Column comment'

SQLines SQL Converter

SQLines Data

Migration to MariaDB

Migration to Oracle

Migration to SQL Server

Migration to MySQL

Migration to PostgreSQL

Migration to IBM DB2

Migration to Redshift

Migration to Snowflake

Migration to Apache Hive

Migration to Spark

Migration to Presto/Trino

Migration to Netezza

Migration to Greenplum

Migration to EsgynDB

Application Conversion

Database Reference