SQL Server® 2008 Administration: Real World Skills for MCITP Certification and Beyond

Attaching and Detaching Databases

Sometimes you want to attach a database that was previously created on one server to another SQL Server. This task is an easy process, but you should be aware of a few facts before you attempt to do this:

• If you attach a SQL Server 2000 or 2005 database to a SQL Server 2008 server, you can no longer attach that database to the previous versions. Always make a copy of the database file before attaching it to the newer version server.
• When you detach a database from a server, it will no longer be available to users. This fact just makes sense, but it's important to remember.
• Attaching a database to a new server does not automatically give access to all previous users from the old server. These users may need to ...