DACPACs

DACPACs, or Data-tier Application Packages, are portable artifacts used to package a SQL Server database schema into a single file with a .dacpac extension. A DACPAC represents the declarative state of a database, including objects such as tables, views, stored procedures, functions, types, constraints, and user-defined schemas. It does not contain table data; for exporting data, a BACPAC is used.

A DACPAC can be created from an existing database or from a project in SQL Server Data Tools, and can be deployed to a target SQL Server instance or Azure SQL Database. It supports versioning and environment promotion by allowing schema comparisons between a source DACPAC and a target database to generate deployment scripts. The deployment can enforce pre- and post-deployment scripts, reference dependencies, and optionally upgrade an existing database to match the DACPAC definition.

DACPACs are used in development and operations workflows to manage schema evolution, enable repeatable deployments, and facilitate sharing of database designs across teams. They are commonly created and consumed with Microsoft tools such as SQLPackage, SQL Server Management Studio, and SQL Server Data Tools, and are supported for on-premises SQL Server as well as Azure SQL Database and Azure SQL Managed Instance. A related format, BACPAC, includes both the schema and data and is used for migrating or archiving data.