How to attach db with missing log file?

I jad detached a larg db with multiple empty log files.
While moving the db to another server, a drive array onthe
first one went bad, taking one of my log files with it.
How can I re-attach the db and have it ignore that its
missing a log file?
Thank you in advance!Hi
You may be able to use sp_attach_single_file_db, although this would not be
guaranteed.
John
"Merlin" <anonymous@.discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:bc7201c40dfc$f3419e20$a001280a@.phx.gbl...
> I jad detached a larg db with multiple empty log files.
> While moving the db to another server, a drive array onthe
> first one went bad, taking one of my log files with it.
> How can I re-attach the db and have it ignore that its
> missing a log file?
> Thank you in advance!|||Thank you for your help. sp_attach_single_file_db is not
allowing me to get past the missing log file, either. is
there any other way?

>--Original Message--
>Hi
>You may be able to use sp_attach_single_file_db, although
this would not be
>guaranteed.
>John
>"Merlin" <anonymous@.discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in
message
>news:bc7201c40dfc$f3419e20$a001280a@.phx.gbl...
onthe
>
>.
>|||Hi
Not that I know off. You may want to call Microsoft PSS if going back to the
last backup is not a viable option.
John
"Merlin" <anonymous@.discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:d87301c40e01$69052ec0$a601280a@.phx.gbl...
> Thank you for your help. sp_attach_single_file_db is not
> allowing me to get past the missing log file, either. is
> there any other way?
>
>
> this would not be
> message
> onthe|||Not supported etc and make sure you have a copy of the mdf before starting
this. Also replace the relavent database,drive letters and filenames with
your particulars as this answer was for a specific case.
1) Make sure you have a copy of PowerDVD301_2_Data.MDF
2) Create a new database called fake (default file locations)
3) Stop SQL Service
4) Delete the fake_Data.MDF and copy PowerDVD301_2_Data.MDF
to where fake_Data.MDF used to be and rename the file to fake_Data.MDF
5) Start SQL Service
6) Database fake will appear as suspect in EM
7) Open Query Analyser and in master database run the following :
sp_configure 'allow updates',1
go
reconfigure with override
go
update sysdatabases set
status=-32768 where dbid=DB_ID('fake')
go
sp_configure 'allow updates',0
go
reconfigure with override
go
This will put the database in emergency recovery mode
8) Stop SQL Service
9) Delete the fake_Log.LDF file
10) Restart SQL Service
11) In QA run the following (with correct path for log)
dbcc rebuild_log('fake','h:\fake_log.ldf')
go
dbcc checkdb('fake') -- to check for errors
go
12) Now we need to rename the files, run the following (make sure
there are no connections to it) in Query Analyser
(At this stage you can actually access the database so you could use
DTS or bcp to move the data to another database .)
use master
go
sp_helpdb 'fake'
go
/* Make a note of the names of the files , you will need them
in the next bit of the script to replace datafilename and
logfilename - it might be that they have the right names */
sp_renamedb 'fake','PowerDVD301'
go
alter database PowerDVD301
MODIFY FILE(NAME='datafilename', NEWNAME = 'PowerDVD301_Data')
go
alter database PowerDVD301
MODIFY FILE(NAME='logfilename', NEWNAME = 'PowerDVD301_Log')
go
dbcc checkdb('PowerDVD301')
go
sp_dboption 'PowerDVD301','dbo use only','false'
go
use PowerDVD301
go
sp_updatestats
go
13) You should now have a working database. However the log file
will be small so it will be worth increasing its size
Unfortunately your files will be called fake_Data.MDF and
fake_Log.LDF but you can get round this by detaching the
database properly and then renaming the files and reattaching
it
14) Run the following in QA
sp_detach_db PowerDVD301
--now rename the files then reattach
sp_attach_db 'PowerDVD301','h:\dvd.mdf','h:\DVD.ldf'
HTH
Jasper Smith (SQL Server MVP)
I support PASS - the definitive, global
community for SQL Server professionals -
http://www.sqlpass.org
"Merlin" <anonymous@.discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:d87301c40e01$69052ec0$a601280a@.phx.gbl...
> Thank you for your help. sp_attach_single_file_db is not
> allowing me to get past the missing log file, either. is
> there any other way?
>
>
> this would not be
> message
> onthe|||I fixed this by running dbcc rebuild_log and then running
dbcc checkdb. all is good now. sp_attach_single_file_db
didnt work for me, it was still looking for the missing
log file before letting me attach the db. Thank you for
the help, I appreciated it!!!

>--Original Message--
>Hi
>You may be able to use sp_attach_single_file_db, although
this would not be
>guaranteed.
>John
>"Merlin" <anonymous@.discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in
message
>news:bc7201c40dfc$f3419e20$a001280a@.phx.gbl...
onthe
>
>.
>sql

How to attach an .MDF file to another server?

Hi all

I am having trouble moving an .mdf file from a dev machine to a production machine.

On the dev machine(windows xp sp2 login <MyName>) I have an SSE instance - part of VisualStudio installation.
on the production machine I have only one full version SS instance called "PROD"(windows server 2k3, login Administrator) I do have SSMS installed too.

I create a website in VS on my dev machine. C:\Websites\Website1
I add to App_Data a new file: DB1.mdf
I add a couple of tables to DB1.mdf and maybe other objects etc. - all dbo.
Then I detach DB1.mdf and physically copy the file (without the .ldf as suggested in books online) via tha LAN.

from: C:\Websites\Website1\App_Data\DB1.mdf(dev machine)
to: C:\DB1.mdf (production machine)

I then try to attach C:\DB1.mdf to PROD and I get an error. The server is looking for a db by the name of the original path on the dev machine C:\Websites\Website1\App_Data\DB1.mdf There seems to be no way to rename the db.-not in VS before detaching it, not on PROD in the GUI to attach.

Just for kicks, I created the same folders on the production machine, so the file would have the same physical path as its name(which I still cannot change). C:\Websites\Website1\App_Data\DB1.mdf I even pasted the original .ldf file. This time it worked. I was able to attach it.

What is up with this? Is an .mdf file for ever stuck with the name of the path where it was first created?

This seems to be a most common scenario, even though I am not deploying a whole website.

Are we always supposed to execute our own script?

How are you reattaching the file ?

You should be able to use the command:

CREATE DATABASE database_name
ON
(name = logical_file_name,
filename = 'new file location')
FOR ATTACH

You'll need to know the logical_file_name that the mdf file uses. Find that out by running this command in the database before detaching:

select name from sysfiles where filename like '%.mdf'
|||

If you right click on the databases folder in Object Explorer in SSMS and select Attach... you get a UI to locate the .mdf file. The UI looks for the other files in database (.ndf or .ldf) in the locations specified in the .mdf file. If it doesn't find them there, it displays an error message for the files it can't find.

You can change the location where it is looking for the other files by editing the "Current File Path" in the lower grid. You can also remove the .ldf files from the grid (so it won't try to attach them) by selecting them in the grid and clicking on the Remove button.

Hope this helps,

Steve

|||

Thanks to both of you.

Both ways work now. I can't even duplicate the issue, and I remember I struggled for a while prior to posting a few days ago. It just didn't like that file name. I swear there is a voodoo ghost on the network!

Steven, I also played with some test UDFs and TVFs written in c#. I right-click deployed the assembly in visual studio. The test was to see what all I needed to do when I reattach the .mdf file. Well the functions work on the new machine just like that. So where is the .net assembly? Is the .dll embedded in the .mdf file? Because that is all I transferred.

Carl