Getting started

Import troubleshooting

When an import fails before the review step, the message says what went wrong. Each error below is quoted exactly as it appears on screen — search for the text you see. Most reduce to a few causes: the SQL result was truncated, the JSON is malformed, or the extractor’s filter matched nothing.

  1. “The pasted schema looks truncated (cut off before the end).” SSMS clipped the single result cell. Keep Results to Grid (the default) and raise Tools → Options → Query Results → SQL Server → Results to Grid → Maximum Characters Retrieved → Non-XML data to 2000000 — it applies only to query windows opened after the change, so open a new one. Then copy the cell with Copy Cell (right-click) or Shift+F2 — not Ctrl+C — and paste again.

    The whole export is one JSON value in one grid cell; the default cell cap and plain Ctrl+C each return only part of it.

  2. “Schema import looks truncated: the extractor reported N objects but only M arrived.” The result was cut off before the end but still parsed as valid JSON, so fewer objects arrived than the extractor counted. Same fix: raise the Grid cell limit, re-run, copy the cell with Copy Cell / Shift+F2, and re-paste.

    A server-side count check rejects a partial schema rather than importing it as if it were complete.

  3. “Invalid schema JSON. Check the extractor output and try again.” The text is not valid JSON — usually a partial copy, or extra framing wrapped around it. Copy the single result cell whole from Results to Grid; do not use Results to File or Results to Text, which add headers the import cannot parse.

    Results to File / Results to Text wrap the value in row counts and column headers, and also cap the length — the payload arrives framed and clipped.

  4. “Valid JSON, but no database objects were found.” The JSON parsed but held no objects. The filter at the top of the extractor (@OnlyObjects, @OnlySchemas) is probably too narrow, or the script ran against the wrong database. Widen or clear the filter, confirm the connection, and re-run.

    A first import is meant to be small, but an over-tight filter (or the wrong database) can match nothing at all.

  5. Objects or dependencies missing from the import (or “no database objects were found” despite a correct filter). The SQL login running the extractor lacks rights: VIEW DEFINITION (to read view / procedure / function definitions) or SELECT ON sys.sql_expression_dependencies (for dependencies). Grant both to the account and re-run.

    Without these the catalog queries return empty for the objects the login can’t see, so the extract looks incomplete rather than erroring.

  6. “Requires editor role or higher.” Your role in this workspace is Viewer, which is read-only. Ask an editor or admin to run the import.

  7. “Schema import is not available for freeform workspaces.” This workspace is Freeform — untied from any database — so there is nothing to import into. Use (or create) a SQL Server workspace instead.

  8. “Unsupported import format_version: …” The extractor script is out of date (or newer than this app). Re-copy the current extractor from the import panel and run that one.

  9. “Import has too many objects” or “Payload too large”. The extract is larger than a single import allows (5,000 objects / 50 MB). Filter it down with the extractor’s @OnlySchemas / @OnlyObjects block and import one area at a time.

    Smaller, per-flow imports are the intended path anyway — one documented flow beats a whole-database dump.

Still stuck? The manual import guide has the full SSMS setup, step by step.