SQL server version 655 - sql

what update i need to install for version 655 in vs studio 2010 for the sql server.
Can anyone tell me what i need on my computer when creating a database using sql on vs studio 2010? I need to use version 655 cos thats the version being used on Uni Computers

SQL Server 2008 (655) and SQL Server 2008 R2 (661) are not the same thing (though it is a common misconception - a lot of people think they're the same because Microsoft made a terrible, terrible, terrible naming decision, making 2008 R2 sound like a service pack).
You can't attach/restore a 2008 R2 database to a 2008 instance, period. Though there are several workarounds (that also apply for attaching 2012 -> 2008, 2008 -> 2005, 2008 R2 -> 2005, etc). You can either upgrade the engine you're trying to connect to up to 2008 R2, or you can extract the schema / data from the database using generate scripts wizard, import/export data wizard, SSIS, or 3rd party tools like Red Gate SQL Compare (for a full list of alternatives see this blog post).
This comes up extremely often, did you search for "sql server version 661 655"? I came up with a whole bunch of hits using this search term and some slight variations, all on this site and dba.SE:
Failure attaching SQL Server 2008 database to SQL Server 2005
Cannot attach 2008 R2 database to 2008 instance
Database restore error
Create Database in SQL Server 2012, Script and Use in 2008?
Cannot restore backup on SQL Server Express
How to automatically restore a SQL Server 2008 R2 backup file
Database "cannot be opened because it is version 661" when attaching .mdf file
Use database 661 version with SQL Server 2008
SQL Server: Attach incorrect version 661
https://dba.stackexchange.com/questions/21525/restoring-an-sql-server-2012-mdf-to-sql-server-2008
https://dba.stackexchange.com/questions/20588/restore-sql-server-2012-backup-to-a-sql-server-2008-database

If you are developing .NET based apps in visual studio 2010, then they will typically support all versions of Microsoft SQL Server. That does not mean you install SQL server INSIDE of visual studio, just that you can connect to a SQL Server instance running somewhere.
If you are asking "Where can I get a copy of SQL Server that my university is using?", that depends. For development, you can use a SQL Express installation on your local machine that matches the major release of SQL (2005, 2008, 2008R2, 2012), or you can request the university (or someone else) grant you access to an existing SQL instance.

Related

Updating version of SQL Server 2008 Management Studio

I am currently running SQL Server 2008 Management Studio (version 10.0.1600.22) and I want to update due to a bug in this version.
All the documentation I have found so far has been for updating to SQL Server 2008 R2 Management Studio and SQL Server 2008 Management Studio Express which I believe are different. Is that right?
I have also found links for updating SQL Server which I once again believe isn't what I'm looking for as I only want to update the client side.
Is there a way (or link) where I can update SQL Server 2008 Management Studio without having to reinstall it?
I believe the management tools for SQL Server 2008 R2 is backwards compatible with SQL Server 2008.
If you want to keep your database instance SQL Server 2008, just run the setup on the installation DVD and choose Maintenance -> Repair. At the screen to select the instance, there is an option to select "Repair shared features only". I don't have SQL Server 2008 DVD, only 2008 R2 DVD, but I believe the 2008 version works the same way.
Or if your computer doesn't have SQL Server database instance, you can do a fresh installation and choose only management tools. Example screen shots (for 2008 R2): http://it-n-careerz.blogspot.com/2013/04/how-to-install-sql-server-management.html
Good luck!

How to automatically restore a SQL Server 2008 R2 backup file

My team needs to update an automated content process running over SQL Server 2008 servers to include the content of a SQL Server 2008 R2 database delivered by a third-party vendor.
The request to third-party to deliver us on SQL Server 2008 is NOT an option.
My common sense indicates there is no way to downgrade from 2k8 R2 to 2k8 as in most of the software products I know. However, I'm wondering if I would be able to do something like this in a script:
Restore SQL Server 2008 R2 .bak file onto our SQL Server 2008 R2 instance
Update compatiblity level to SQL Server 2008 (100). Here is the bug in my plan: I've not found any compatiblity level distinctions between 2008 versions in internet. Any clue on this?
Backup the database.
Restore the database in SQL Server 2008
There may be some other ideas you may want to share with me.
Just recall there should not be manual intervention on this database conversion since this operation needs to be incorporated to an automated process.
Any help/suggestions/comments will be welcome!
No, you cannot restore a database backwards, regardless of compatibility level. Compatibility level affects certain database engine behaviors, but does not downgrade the database version. You will never be able to restore onto 2008 a database that ever existed in a 2008 R2 instance.
For workarounds, you can:
restore the database on R2, then use the import/export data wizard (or a third party tool) to transfer schema / data to the 2008 instance (and you should be able to automate this to some extent, e.g. Red-Gate's tools have command-line interfaces)
upgrade your 2008 servers to 2008 R2 or 2012
push back on the vendor
By design, you can only restore a DB backup to the same or newer version of SQL Server. A backup created with SQL Server 2008 R2 can only be restored with SQL Server 2008 R2 or SQL Server 2012. This is regardless of the compatibility level of the database. It's a limitation of the backup and restore procedures. This has been a limitation since prior to SQL Server 2000 (i.e., every version I've ever used).
Maybe you can script out the creation of new database, instead of backing up and restoring you basically just do a data dump with script.
Try looking at this How can I get a SQL dump of a SQL Server 2008 database?

Error: Can't attach DB to SQL Server 2012

I have SQL Server 2012 and I'm trying to attach a db which was previously used with SQL Server 2012, surprisingly I'm getting the following error:
The database 'DatabaseName' cannot be opened because it is version
706. This server supports version 622 and earlier. A downgrade path is not supported.
I don't really understand how this could happen since like I said it was used with same 2012 version. What am I doing wrong? How can I make it work? Please explain in detail how this can be resolved.
Thank you!!
The error sounds like the server you are trying to attach the database to is not SQL Server 2012. This may be the version of Management Studio / Management Studio Express you're using, but I suspect SELECT ##VERSION; will tell you something different. It may just be a connection string mixup if you have multiple instances of SQL Server installed, otherwise you should download and install SQL Server 2012 Express from here.
#source
It sounds like you had the following configuration and source databases:
SQL Server 2008 SP3 (ver 10.0...) - database engine
SQL Server Management Studio 2012 (ver 11.0...) - management tools
a database that was created with SQL Server 2012 (version 706)
As mentioned you could install SSMS for SQL Server 2008 (after you uninstall SSMS for SQL Server 2012). Then you would have to script your database for that version and re-run the script via 'Tasks>Script...', remembering to set the target server version as shown below.
After scripting you can then use the import/export wizard to export and then inport the data into the new (downgraded database), assuming the database had no 2012-only datatypes (such as sequences).
Another consideration is database compatibility level as shown below. You can have a SQL Server 2012 instance which hosts databases with various compatibility levels.
Using SELECT ##VERSION works very well for me. Your Database Engine is connected to a 2008 DB which certainly doesn't allow you to attach. Once I change my Database Engine to connect to 2012 DB, it works for me.
Check your Database Engine connection. You can be working on 2012 Management Studio yet connecting to 2008 DB. This is what happened to me and I have solved it use SELECT ##VERSION.

How can I attach a database?

When I want to attach database, an error occurs:
The database 'Almizan' cannot be opened because it is version 661.
This server supports version 655 and earlier. A downgrade path is not supported.
Could not open new database 'Almizan'. CREATE DATABASE is aborted.
(.Net SqlClient Data Provider)
Help me to attach this database.
Install SQL Server 2008 EXPRESS R2. There is a bug in the Web Platform Installer and it still thinks EXPRESS R1 is the latest version.
SQL Server 2008 databases are version 655. SQL Server 2008 R2 databases are 661. You are trying to attach an 2008 R2 database (v. 661) to an 2008 instance and this is not supported. Once the database has been upgraded to an 2008 R2 version, it cannot be downgraded. You'll have to either upgrade your 2008 SP2 instance to R2, or you have to copy out the data in that database into an 2008 database (eg using the data migration wizard, or something equivalent).
The message is misleading, to say the least, it says 662 because SQL Server 2008 SP2 does support 662 as a database version, this is when 15000 partitions are enabled in the database, see Support for 15000 Partitions.docx. Enabling the support bumps the DB version to 662, disabling it moves it back to 655. But SQL Server 2008 SP2 does not support 661 (the R2 version).
Think you need to upgrade the SQL Server 2008 instance (655) your trying to attach the database in, to SQL Server 2008 R2 (661), the version the database was actually created in.
See SQL Server: Attach incorrect version 661
The this answer on the MSDN seems to tell us the obvious
http://social.msdn.microsoft.com/Forums/en-US/sqlexpress/thread/01ed3b1c-6f29-4518-a3a4-e4e35decc05f/
When you attached the database to SQL Server 2008 to compress it the
database has automatically been upgraded from SQL 2005 to to SQL
Server 2008 from the disk structucture point of view. An internal
upgrade script has been run and has modified the on-disk structure of
the database to that new version. This can be seen at the version 655.
Once this has been done you can no longer attach the upgraded database
to a lower version of SQL Server, it will fail with the error you've
seen.
This has nothing to do with the compatiblity level of the database.
The compatabilty level only prevents the engine from using some of the
new features.
In order to get the database on SQL Server 2005 again you will need to
create the database freshly and export/import the data, for example by
using the Export/Import Wizard.
Ulrike - MSFT

SQL Server Express 2008 database compatibility with SQL Server Express 2005

a) I am in the process of developing a web site using the new free web development tool - Webmatrix (Beta 2) from Microsoft.
b) Web Platform Installer (recommends and also) automatically installs SQL Server Express 2008 along with Webmatrix and VWDE 2010 Express.
c) My database is created in SQL Server Express 2008. But the hosting company says that they would support only SQL Server Express 2005 (but not SQL Server Express 2008).
d) Can I go ahead with this hosting company or should I look for somebody who supports SQL Server Express 2008 specifically? In other words, the crux of the issue is:
Is it possible to open, read, update the database and tables created using SQL Server Express 2008 in SQL Server Express 2005 edition also?
Esh
I had the similar issue with hosting company.
They gave me a bak file from SQL server 2008 and I tried to restored in in my SQL 2005 environment and it consistently failed. Quite surprised to see the lack of backward compatibility. I would advise to go with hosting provider who supports 2008 or you migrate your DB to 2005.
In one word: NO.
SQL Server is never backwards compatible - if you have a database in a 2008 version, there is no way to restore and use that on a SQL Server 2005 machine. There's no trick, no third-party tool, no hack, nothing - it just doesn't work. EVER.
So if your hoster supports only SQL Server 2005 Express, you need to uninstall 2008 Express and manually install 2005 Express on your dev machine.
Or find a hoster that support SQL Server 2008 Express.