Copying a MS SQL server database – w/o BS

Sheesh, all I wanted to do was copy a SQL database from one MS Windows machine to another (we are migrating our Infotrieve Ariel servers to new workstations).  Searching the web for a solution to this simple task was like asking someone how to plug in a lamp and getting the entire history of physics first.

Here’s how we do it, copying from an MSDE 2000 server to MS SQL 2005 Server Express:

1. On the machine with the database, stop the SQL server
2. find the database files (suffixes are mdf and ldf) and copy them to your new workstation
3. Run Application SQL Server Management Studio Express (free download) on your new workstation
4. Connect to your SQL server using the aforementioned Server studio
5. in the Object Explorer, right-click the Databases object and choose Attach
6. Use the Attach Databases dialog window to locate your database files and attach them.

That’s all.  Now, see how simple that was?