Migrating from SQL Server to MySQL using MySQL Workbench tool

Question

I'm trying to migrate few tables from SQL Server to MySQL using MySQL Workbench migration wizard. All work fine for structure migrations but when I go to the data migration section it throws an error for one table:

ERROR: dbo.Documents:SQLExecDirect(SELECT [DocumentID], [CategoryID], CAST([DocumentName] as NVARCHAR(255)) as [DocumentName], [Active], [NavigatorID], CAST([DocumentText] as NTEXT) as [DocumentText], [UseSubtitle], CAST([DocumentSubtitle] as NVARCHAR(255)) as [DocumentSubtitle], CAST([DocumentPlainText] as NTEXT) as [DocumentPlainText], [DocumentType], CAST([DocumentLink] as NVARCHAR(255)) as [DocumentLink], [Sitemap], CAST([SubtitleImage] as NVARCHAR(255)) as [SubtitleImage], CAST([MetaTags] as NVARCHAR(8000)) as [MetaTags], CAST([MetaDescription] as NVARCHAR(8000)) as [MetaDescription], [AccessLevel] FROM [ctool_test].[dbo].[Documents]): 42000:1131:[Microsoft][ODBC SQL Server Driver][SQL Server]The size (8000) given to the convert specification 'nvarchar' exceeds the maximum allowed for any data type (4000).

2131:[Microsoft][ODBC SQL Server Driver][SQL Server]The size (8000) given to the convert specification 'nvarchar' exceeds the maximum allowed for any data type (4000).

Based on that what I can understand it limits columns with nvarchar data to max size of 4000 when MySQL can handle 65535.

Any clue how I can get this to work?

Thanks

• Aaron Bertrand: What are the source columns (NVARCHAR(4000) or NVARCHAR(MAX))? How are you building that SELECT statement?
• JackTheKnife: Source column has text data and is set as NVARCHAR(8000). Select statement is done by MySQL Workbench so I even don't need to touch queries (but I can save them for command line execution if needed)
• Aaron Bertrand: There is no such thing as NVARCHAR(8000). Where are you seeing this?
• JackTheKnife: Through MySQL Workbench migration wizard - Create Schemata step.
• Aaron Bertrand: Well MySQL Workbench does not have a very good grasp of SQL Server data types.

Answer 1

Well, since you have data currently stored in SQL Server, and it's already in an NVARCHAR column, then either it's an NVARCHAR <= 4000 (in which case you can't lose any data, and should just change all instances of NVARCHAR(8000) to NVARCHAR(4000)), or it's an NVARCHAR(MAX) column, in which case you change all instances of NVARCHAR(8000) to NVARCHAR(MAX). Or just leave out those CASTs - do you really need them?

As an aside, you should probably change as NTEXT to as NVARCHAR(MAX) as well.

• JackTheKnife: OK, got this to work following all answers above.