Upgrading SQL Server 6.5 | Yes, I know. The existence of a running copy of `SQL Server 6.5` in 2008 is absurd.


That stipulated, what is the best way to migrate from `6.5` to `2005`? Is there any direct path? Most of the documentation I've found deals with upgrading `6.5` to `7`.


Should I forget about the native `SQL Server` upgrade utilities, script out all of the objects and data, and try to recreate from scratch?


I was going to attempt the upgrade this weekend, but server issues pushed it back till next. So, any ideas would be welcomed during the course of the week.


*Update. This is how I ended up doing it:*


* Back up the database in question and Master on `6.5`.
* Execute `SQL Server 2000`'s `instcat.sql` against `6.5`'s Master. This allows `SQL Server 2000`'s OLEDB provider to connect to `6.5`.
* Use `SQL Server 2000`'s standalone `"Import and Export Data"` to create a DTS package, using `OLEDB` to connect to 6.5. This successfully copied all `6.5`'s tables to a new `2005` database (also using `OLEDB`).
* Use `6.5`'s Enterprise Manager to script out all of the database's indexes and triggers to a .sql file.
* Execute that .sql file against the new copy of the database, in 2005's Management Studio.
* Use 6.5's Enterprise Manager to script out all of the stored procedures.
* Execute that `.sql` file against the `2005` database. Several dozen sprocs had issues making them incompatible with `2005`. Mainly `non-ANSI joins` and `quoted identifier issues`.
* Corrected all of those issues and re-executed the `.sql` file.
* Recreated the `6.5`'s logins in `2005` and gave them appropriate permissions.


There was a bit of rinse/repeat when correcting the stored procedures (there were hundreds of them to correct), but the upgrade went great otherwise.


Being able to use Management Studio instead of `Query Analyzer` and `Enterprise Manager 6.5` is such an amazing difference. A few report queries that took 20-30 seconds on the `6.5 database` are now running in 1-2 seconds, without any modification, new indexes, or anything. I didn't expect that kind of immediate improvement.