Attach a Database
This topic describes how to attach a database in SQL Server 2014 by using SQL Server Management Studio or Transact-SQL. You can use this feature to copy, move, or upgrade a SQL Server database.
In This Topic
The database must first be detached. Attempting to attach a database that has not been detached will return an error. For more information, see Detach a Database.
When you attach a database, all data files (MDF and LDF files) must be available. If any data file has a different path from when the database was first created or last attached, you must specify the current path of the file.
When you attach a database, if MDF and LDF files are located in different directories and one of the paths includes \\?\GlobalRoot, the operation will fail.
We recommend that you move databases by using the ALTER DATABASE planned relocation procedure, instead of using detach and attach. For more information, see Move User Databases.
File access permissions are set during a number of database operations, including detaching or attaching a database. For information about file permissions that are set whenever a database is detached and attached, see Securing Data and Log Files in SQL Server 2008 R2 Books Online.
We recommend that you do not attach or restore databases from unknown or untrusted sources. Such databases could contain malicious code that might execute unintended Transact-SQL code or cause errors by modifying the schema or the physical database structure. Before you use a database from an unknown or untrusted source, run DBCC CHECKDB on the database on a nonproduction server and also examine the code, such as stored procedures or other user-defined code, in the database. For more information about attaching databases and information about changes that are made to metadata when you attach a database, see Database Detach and Attach (SQL Server).
Requires CREATE DATABASE, CREATE ANY DATABASE, or ALTER ANY DATABASE permission.
To Attach a Database
In SQL Server Management Studio Object Explorer, connect to an instance of the SQL Server Database Engine, and then expand that instance.
Right-click Databases and click Attach.
In the Attach Databases dialog box, to specify the database to be attached, click Add; and in the Locate Database Files dialog box, select the disk drive where the database resides and expand the directory tree to find and select the .mdf file of the database; for example:
C:\Program Files\Microsoft SQL Server\MSSQL12.MSSQLSERVER\MSSQL\DATA\AdventureWorks2012_Data.mdf
Trying to select a database that is already attached generates an error.
To attach a database
Connect to the Database Engine.
From the Standard bar, click New Query.
Use the CREATE DATABASE statement with the FOR ATTACH close.
Copy and paste the following example into the query window and click Execute. This example attaches the files of the AdventureWorks2012 database and renames the database to MyAdventureWorks.
CREATE DATABASE MyAdventureWorks ON (FILENAME = 'C:\MySQLServer\AdventureWorks_Data.mdf'), (FILENAME = 'C:\MySQLServer\AdventureWorks_Log.ldf') FOR ATTACH;
Alternatively, you can use the sp_attach_db or sp_attach_single_file_db stored procedure. However, these procedures will be removed in a future version of Microsoft SQL Server. Avoid using this feature in new development work, and plan to modify applications that currently use this feature. We recommend that you use CREATE DATABASE … FOR ATTACH instead.
After you upgrade a database by using the attach method, the database becomes available immediately and is automatically upgraded. If the database has full-text indexes, the upgrade process either imports, resets, or rebuilds them, depending on the setting of the Full-Text Upgrade Option server property. If the upgrade option is set to Import or Rebuild, the full-text indexes will be unavailable during the upgrade. Depending the amount of data being indexed, importing can take several hours, and rebuilding can take up to ten times longer. Note also that when the upgrade option is set to Import, if a full-text catalog is not available, the associated full-text indexes are rebuilt.
If the compatibility level of a user database is 100 or higher before upgrade, it remains the same after upgrade. If the compatibility level is 90 before upgrade, in the upgraded database, the compatibility level is set to 100, which is the lowest supported compatibility level in SQL Server 2014. For more information, see ALTER DATABASE Compatibility Level (Transact-SQL).