SQLServer - need to access an ACT! database for data migration
We have a Customer who has the unfortunate need to use this program.
Sage purposefully makes it difficult to get to your data because they see that as a "revenue opportunity". (I guess they want to have all of the "lock-in" power of a proprietary file format combined with all of the convenience and performance of using SQL Server 2005...)
Read your license agreement. Sage demands you pay them additional fees to get access to the data. Legally, your only way of accessing your data directly is via their "licensed" means. (It's completely bogus, and makes me think of Sage software as a bunch of dirty, underhanded jerks, personally.)
They do some mean things to make sure that you can't get and keep "sa" privilege to the database easily, but since you physically control the box you can get around that.
I'm not sure how much I should say on here for fear of getting Server Fault into trouble and / or getting a cease-and-desist order myself. Suffice it to say there's a mode that you can start SQL Server in that allows "sa" access regardless of credentials. That's your back door to get in.
Sage: You're a bunch of bozos and your business model sucks re: ACT!. I hope that free and open-source and cloud-based alternatives drive you out of business.
or you can use the actreader.exe utillity that is included in the premium versions of act, to create a read only user for the act! database (I would advise against writing into act!s' databases anyway...)
simply start it, enter a password, and then connect using the username ACTREADER and the password you have chosen. done.
Jus tattach the database to a different SQL server and you have access to all the data.
Single User Mode works like a charm.
To start an instance of SQL Server with startup options
1.On the Start menu, point to All Programs, point to Microsoft SQL Server 2008 R2, point to Configuration Tools, and then click SQL Server Configuration Manager.
In SQL Server Configuration Manager, in the left pane, click SQL Server.
In the details pane, right-click the instance of SQL Server, and then click Properties.
In the SQL Server () Properties dialog box, click the Advanced tab, and then click Startup Parameters.
At the end of the original text, in the Value column, type the startup parameters you want, and then click OK. Separate parameters with a semi-colon, for example, –c;-m.
Stop and restart SQL Server for the parameters to take effect.
Then login with management studio and taddah!