AdemeroHelp

Point Content Central at a renamed or moved SQL database

Rename or move your Content Central database in SQL Server, then retarget Content Central through Configuration Manager — in the right order, with tests that prove the connection before anyone logs back in.

AdministratorsContent Central 7.x30-45 minutesVerified 2026-08-30

Before you begin

  • Administrator access to the Content Central server
  • SQL Server administration rights (SSMS or equivalent)
  • A maintenance window — users will be offline during the change

At the end of this guide, Content Central will be connected to the same database under its new name or new SQL Server location, both connection tests will pass, and you'll have confirmed it works with a real login, document, search, and capture.

Important

This guide is for pointing Content Central at the same database after a rename or move. If you're moving Content Central itself to a new server, follow Move Content Central to a new server instead.

Before you start

The change has two halves, and the order matters: first the database change in SQL Server, then the connection change in Configuration Manager. Admins who do only one half — or do them in the wrong order — end up with services pointed at a database that no longer answers.

Note

Content Central stores its data in Microsoft SQL Server — nothing else. If you see drivers or client tools for other database systems installed on the server, they belong to other applications and play no part in this change.

  • A current, verified database backup — take one now: Back up your Content Central database
  • A maintenance window announced to your users
  • The new server name, instance, and database name written down exactly

Part 1: Make the change in SQL Server

  1. In services.msc on the Content Central server, stop all five Content Central services:

    Service
    Ademero Content Central Capture Service
    Ademero Content Central Catalog Service
    Ademero Content Central Workflow Service
    Ademero Content Central Integration Service
    Ademero Content Central Health Service

  1. Stop the Content Central website in IIS. From an administrator Command Prompt:

    iisreset /stop
    note

    If other websites share this server, stop just the Content Central site and its application pool in IIS Manager instead.

  1. Rename or move the database using standard SQL Server administration — for example, rename it in SQL Server Management Studio, or back up and restore it onto the new instance. Wait until the database is fully online under its new name or location before continuing.

Warning

Do not stop here. Content Central is still configured for the old name and location — nothing will start correctly until you finish Part 2.

Part 2: Retarget Content Central in Configuration Manager

Configuration Manager owns the connection settings and the files behind them. Never edit configuration files by hand — make the change here, through the UI, only.

  1. On the Content Central server, open Configuration Manager (Start menu > Ademero).

  1. Click SQL Settings ("Configure SQL server location and authorization settings").

  1. In the Server Information section, update what changed:

    • Server Name\Instance: — the SQL Server, e.g. NEWSERVER\INSTANCE. The dropdown lists instances visible on the network, or type the name directly.
    • Database Name: — the database's new name. The dropdown lists databases on the selected server, or type the name directly.
    • Port Number: — leave as is unless the new server uses a non-default port (0 means default or dynamic).
    note

    The Database Name dropdown is populated using the Admin Login below it. If the list stays empty, fix the Admin Login settings first.

  1. Review the Admin Login and User Login sections. If the logins were recreated on a new server, update the credentials; Windows Integrated Authentication needs no username or password.

  1. Click Test Admin Login.

    What you should see: a message box that says Test Succeeded.

    If it says Admin test failed. Ensure that the login settings are correct., read the SQL error shown with it — the server name, database name, or Admin Login is wrong.

  1. Click Test User Login.

    What you should see: Test Succeeded. — unless the User Login uses Windows Integrated Authentication, in which case you'll see an informational message explaining the test depends on each component's Windows account. That message is expected, not a failure.

Figure

SQL Settings screen showing Server Information with the new server and database name, and the Test Succeeded message box

  1. Do not click Create/Update Database — that button creates or upgrades a database schema. Your database already exists; you're only re-pointing at it.

  1. Click Apply to save the connection settings.

Part 3: Restart and validate

  1. In services.msc, start the five Content Central services you stopped in Part 1.

  1. Restart IIS:

    iisreset

  1. Prove the system works end to end:

    • Log in to Content Central in a browser
    • Open an existing document
    • Run a search that returns results
    • Capture a test document and confirm it arrives
Note

Search indexes live on disk, separate from the database — renaming or moving the database doesn't touch them. Indexing of new documents resumes once the Catalog Service is running again.

Still stuck?

If a service won't start or a test won't pass, check the ContentCentral Windows Event Log (Event Viewer > Applications and Services Logs) — each service logs its startup errors there. The most common cause is a half-finished change: re-open SQL Settings, confirm every field matches the database's new name and location exactly, and re-run both tests.

If it still fails, contact support with:

  • The exact text of the failed test message, including the SQL error
  • The ContentCentral event log entries from your maintenance window
  • A screenshot of the SQL Settings screen (leave passwords blank)
  • Your Content Central version