Take the 2-minute tour ×
Database Administrators Stack Exchange is a question and answer site for database professionals who wish to improve their database skills and learn from others in the community. It's 100% free, no registration required.

I have a database on SQL Server 2008 R2.

I want to attach it on a SQL Server Express 2008 instance running on Windows 2003.

I set the SQL server compatibility level on the database to SQL Server 2005 in SQL Server 2008 R2 Management Studio before detaching.

But I can't attach this database to my SQL 2008 instance running on Windows 2003 due to a "compatibility error".

How can I get around this?

share|improve this question

migrated from stackoverflow.com Sep 18 '11 at 14:11

This question came from our site for professional and enthusiast programmers.

2 Answers 2

up vote 11 down vote accepted

You can't attach a SQL Server 2008 R2 database to a SQL Server 2008 or 2005 instance. You can only go up, not down; you can't make your 2008 R2 database compatible with previous versions. The solution is to remove your Express instance and replace it with a 2008 R2 instance, then you will be able to attach your database...

share|improve this answer

I ran into a similar issue once. I attached a 2000 DB to a 2005 instance, figured out it was the wrong instance, but now I was not able to attach it back to the 2000 instance. What I ended up doing was an export of the tables/objects from the 2005 instance and then imported it back to the 2000 instance.

Fortunately for me, the DB was very small and I did not miss any functionality during the export/import process.

share|improve this answer

Your Answer

 
discard

By posting your answer, you agree to the privacy policy and terms of service.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question.
{"cc_re__cc_re__cc_by_sa_3_0": ["                  <li><a href=\"//area51.stackexchange.com\" title=\"proposing new sites in the Stack Exchange network\">Area 51</a></li>\r\n                        <li><a href=\"//careers.stackoverflow.com\">Stack Overflow Careers</a></li>\r\n                    \r\n                </ol>\r\n            </td>\r\n    </tr>\r\n</table>\r\n                </div>\r\n            </div>\r\n\r\n            <div id=\"copyright\">\r\n                site design / logo &#169; 2015 stack exchange inc; user contributions licensed under <a href=\"http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/\" rel=\"license\">cc by-sa 3.0</a>                   with <a href=\"http://blog.stackoverflow.com/2009/06/attribution-required/\" rel=\"license\">attribution required</a>\r\n            </div>\r\n            <div id=\"svnrev\">\r\n                rev 2015.1.30.2262\r\n            </div>\r\n            \r\n        </div>\r\n    </div>\r\n    <noscript>\r\n        <div id=\"noscript-warning\">Database Administrators Stack Exchange works best with JavaScript enabled<img src=\"http://pixel.quantserve.com/pixel/p-c1rF4kxgLUzNc.gif\" alt=\"\" class"], "copyright__copyright__copyright": ["ttach it back to the 2000 instance. What I ended up doing was an export of the tables/objects from the 2005 instance and then imported it back to the 2000 instance.\n\nFortunately for me, the DB was very small and I did not miss any functionality during the export/import process.\n\nshare|improve this answer\n\nYour Answer\n\n\u00a0\ndiscard\n\nBy posting your answer, you agree to the privacy policy and terms of service.\n\nNot the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question."]}