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+---
+stage: Data Stores
+group: Database
+info: To determine the technical writer assigned to the Stage/Group associated with this page, see https://about.gitlab.com/handbook/engineering/ux/technical-writing/#assignments
+---
+
+# Importing a database dump into a staging environment
+
+Sometimes it is useful to import the database from a production environment
+into a staging environment for testing. The procedure below assumes you have
+SSH and `sudo` access to both the production environment and the staging VM.
+
+**Destroy your staging VM** when you are done with it. It is important to avoid
+data leaks.
+
+On the staging VM, add the following line to `/etc/gitlab/gitlab.rb` to speed up
+large database imports.
+
+```shell
+# On STAGING
+echo "postgresql['checkpoint_segments'] = 64" | sudo tee -a /etc/gitlab/gitlab.rb
+sudo touch /etc/gitlab/skip-auto-reconfigure
+sudo gitlab-ctl reconfigure
+sudo gitlab-ctl stop puma
+sudo gitlab-ctl stop sidekiq
+```
+
+Next, we let the production environment stream a compressed SQL dump to our
+local machine via SSH, and redirect this stream to a `psql` client on the staging
+VM.
+
+```shell
+# On LOCAL MACHINE
+ssh -C gitlab.example.com sudo -u gitlab-psql /opt/gitlab/embedded/bin/pg_dump -Cc gitlabhq_production |\
+  ssh -C staging-vm sudo -u gitlab-psql /opt/gitlab/embedded/bin/psql -d template1
+```
+
+## Recreating directory structure
+
+If you need to re-create some directory structure on the staging server you can
+use this procedure.
+
+First, on the production server, create a list of directories you want to
+re-create.
+
+```shell
+# On PRODUCTION
+(umask 077; sudo find /var/opt/gitlab/git-data/repositories -maxdepth 1 -type d -print0 > directories.txt)
+```
+
+Copy `directories.txt` to the staging server and create the directories there.
+
+```shell
+# On STAGING
+sudo -u git xargs -0 mkdir -p < directories.txt
+```