SQL Azure V12 BACPAC import error. "Could not read schema model header information from package. The model version '3.5' is not supported

Question

We take bacpacs of our Azure V12 database every night and restore locally using the command

C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft SQL Server\120\DAC\bin>.\SqlPackage.exe /a:Import /sf:C:\1.bacpac /tdn:db1 /tsn:server1

As of 8 Nov 2016, this command has started failing with :

*** Error importing database:Could not read schema model header information from package. The model version '3.5' is not supported.

This looks similar to a previous problem we had with this process back in April SQL Azure V12 BACPAC import error: “The internal target platform type SqlAzureV12DatabaseSchemaProvider does not support schema file version '3.3'”

That time is was due to a scoped configuration option of maxdop. This time it appears to be another new configuration option which has just appeared (from the model.xml):

<Property Name="TemporalHistoryRetentionEnabled" Value="False" />

Why has this property seemingly randomly appeared in the model.xml ?

Answer 1

I ran into the same issue. There is a new data tier applications framework.

It took me a few hours to find it.......

https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=53876

I installed it and my imports from bacpac files with sqlpackage.exe work again.

Hope that helps!

ps. I am on a 64 bit machine and had to install both the 32 and 64 bit framework upgrade.