Moving a Site collection from one content database to another content database

Under some circumstances, you might want to move one or more SharePoint site collections to a different content database. For example, a site collection can outgrow the content database on which it resides, and you would have to move the site collection to a larger content database.
You can move site collections between databases in a SharePoint Server farm by using Microsoft PowerShell.

Download script

$siteUrl = Read-Host “Enter Site Collection URL to be moved”
$newDBName = Read-Host “Enter destination Database Name”
$contentDBInfo = Get-SPContentDatabase -Site $siteUrl
$oldDBName = $contentDBInfo.Name
Move-SPSite -Identity $siteUrl -DestinationDatabase $newDBName
Write-Host ""
Write-Host "Site collection " $siteUrl "has been moved from " $oldDBName "to " $newDBName " successfully." -ForegroundColor Blue

Create new Database in SQL Managemnet Studio.

In Central Administration add Database to Web Application.

Central Administration, Content Databases, choose Web Aplication, Add a content database.

Run PowerShell as Administrator and start the script.

Possible error:

“Cannot complete the copy or merge operation because the database schema versions are different.”


Sometimes you content databases do not get properly upgraded during the installation of a cumulative update or service pack. There is a quick an easy fix. Just use the Upgrade-SPContentDatabase cmdlet to update the content database.


Upgrade-SPContentDatabase -Identity <content database name>