Importing bacpac to Azure database fails

The difference you're experiencing between SSMS and SQLPackage when creating the .bacpac file is likely due to differences in how the tools handle the export process. SSMS has some built-in mechanisms that might better handle certain data integrity checks or constraints compared to sqlpackage

SSMS tends to be more forgiving with data consistency and has built-in safeguards to handle data dependencies and constraints more smoothly, especially for data being exported directly from a production environment.
SQLPackage, on the other hand, is a more direct, scriptable method and might not have the same inbuilt adjustments unless explicitly specified.

To get a similar level of reliability with SQLPackage, you can use specific parameters to ensure compatibility and avoid issues like primary key violations or other data integrity errors:

Common Parameters to Use:
/p    :
During export, it might be beneficial to ignore certain constraints temporarily and reapply them once the data is imported successfully.

/p:IgnoreConstraints=true


/p   :

This ensures that differences in versions (e.g., SQL Server 2022 vs. Azure SQL Database) are managed more smoothly.

/p:AllowIncompatiblePlatform=true


/p  =False:

If your database contains Full-Text Indexes, this can sometimes cause issues. Disabling this verification can prevent those errors.
/p:VerifyFullTextDocumentCount=false


/p   :

Ensure that database options are scripted during the export to make it compatible with the Azure environment.
/p:ScriptDatabaseOptions=true

/p   :

If the process is timing out during export or import, increase the command timeout.
/p:CommandTimeout=1200

The size of your database could also play a role. The SSMS interface might handle chunked data export and reconnections better compared to a command-line approach.

Ideally, restore a copy of the production database to a staging environment. This ensures no active modifications are happening during the export.

Run sqlpackage with the parameters mentioned above to ensure better compatibility:
sqlpackage.exe /Action:Export /SourceServerName:<YourServerName> /SourceDatabaseName:<YourDatabaseName> /TargetFile:<YourTargetFile.bacpac> /p:IgnoreConstraints=true /p:AllowIncompatiblePlatform=true /p:VerifyFullTextDocumentCount=false /p:ScriptDatabaseOptions=true /p:CommandTimeout=1200