SharePoint 2016: Move all farm databases from a SQL Server 2016 Standard to SQL Server 2016 Developer Edition

Question

First time doing this and I would like to confirm the procedure to follow. This is a MinRole farm with 1 Application with Search server and one Front-End with Distributed Cache server. I've been asked to move all farm databases (content and services) from an instance on SQL Server 2016 Standard to an instance on SQL Server 2016 Developer Edition.I am using full backups done to each content and services databases to restore on the new instance and that way make sure that I have the same databases. I also know that I have to update the SQL Alias on each server through the SQL Server Client Network Utility and change the server name used in the connection parameters. Is there any other thing I should do at the Central Administration level or in any other place to make sure SharePoint will work after changing the database server?

Answer 1

The move was done successfully and SharePoint is working after moving DBs to SQL Server 2016 Developer Edition. Procedure used: Back Up and Restore of SQL Server Databases. Reference: https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/SharePoint/administration/move-all-databases.

Steps:

1. Connect to destination SQL instance and restore all the services and content databases using backups that were already existing in the source instance.
2. Stop all services that are related to SharePoint Server and Internet Information Services (IIS) on each server. Start on the server running CA. Stop the farm services and run iisreset /stop.
3. Update the SQL Server connection aliases to point to the new database server and do this update on all servers in the farm by running SQL Server Client Network Utility (cliconfg.exe) located in the C:\Windows\SysWOW64 and C:\Windows\System32 folders. Update on both locations to point to the new db server.
4. On the server that is running the SharePoint Central Administration website, at a command prompt, type iisreset /start. Then restart all services that you stopped on step 2 on all servers in the farm.
5. Clear the config cache on all servers in the farm if some jobs start failing like Search Custom Dictionaries Update, User Profile Service Application - User Profile ActiveDirectory Import Job, Query Classification Dictionary Update for Search Application Search Service Application, Usage Analytics Timer Job for Search Application Search Service Application and Internal App State Update.
6. If Product Version Job fails, run the PS command Get-SPProduct -Local and rerun the job and it will succeed.