Before you can use the Northwind database, you have to run the downloaded instnwnd.sql script file to recreate the database on an instance of SQL Server by using SQL Server Management Studio or a similar tool. Follow the instructions in the Readme file in the repository.
The Northwind and Pubs sample databases are staples of other sample code on this and other development websites. They are used in countless tutorials and walkthroughs published by Microsoft and others. Being a SQL/SQL Server newbie myself, I figured there may be others in my boat who might want both databases in an easily-accessible spot, and an easier, less error-prone way of installing them into SQL Server 2008 Express Edition than, say, running SQL query scripts.
download database northwind sql server 2008
It's worth noting, for example, that a default Visual Studio .NET 2008 Professional Edition installation does not distribute these databases. Unlike the previous version of Visual Studio .NET, it does not even go part-way by installing the required SQL Scripts --- at least, I have not been able to locate them with the latest version. The download attached to this article contains the latest version of the Northwind and Pubs database files as distributed by Microsoft on MSDN.
Note: Make sure that you have read-write access to these files, and that they are in an easily-accessible directory. For ease-of-use, I suggest using C:\Program Files\Microsoft SQL Server\MSSQL.1\MSSQL\Data, or its analogy on your system, which is where Microsoft SQL Server 2008 prefers to store flat database files.
I have some old VS2005/8 websites with SQL Server 2000/5 databases, using Northwind sample database.The old backup I found was from old database server. How can I install the 'new' Northwind databasefor SQL Server 2008R2?Thanks,Jeffrey
Northwind.bak.zip - Northwind database backup for Sql Server 2005 and 2008.Unzip / decompress the file then use the Restore Database option from Sql Server Management Studio 2005 / 2008 to restore the databaseNorthwind.sql.zip - - Northwind database creation script for Sql Server 2005 and 2008.Create a database called northwind in your Sql Server then.Unzip / decompress the file then open the sql file in Sql Server Management Studio 2005 / 2008 and hit F5.OR run the below command (sample)sqlcmd -S Localhost -d Northwind -i D:\Sql\Northwind.sql
Attach Option will Pop-Up. In the Window select the .mdf file of your NorthWind databases files from the folders (Select the location at which you downloaded the MDF file for Northwind database):
As I work on testing the Database Health Reports project, I have configured several test servers running as virtual machines using Hyper-V. Part of setting these up for testing, I usually end up installing the sample databases for SQL Server. The sample databases give me something to test against, and what usually ends up happening is I end up polluting the sample database over time with lots of test tables, bad indexes, and all the stuff that you should keep in a test database, and never actually put in a production system. Occasionally I need to wipe the server clean and start over, so when I do this I usually end up re-installing the sample databases. I do this just often enough to forget exactly where to get the sample databases from. To solve that problem I have created this blog posting so that I have somewhere to look next time I need the sample databases.
Download and install Microsoft SQL Server Express edition if you have not done so already. You can download the server along with free development tools that will help you customizing generated web applications at The link provides access to Microsoft Web Platform Installer, which makes the download and installation process extremely simple and pain-free.
If you are developing with other types of databases, such Oracle, DB2, MySQL, Microsoft Access, then getting Microsoft SQL Server Express installed will still help to get started with Code On Time. Generated web applications use provider-independent model to access data. It means that there is no code specific to Microsoft SQL Server in the generated application framework. If your back-end database server is Oracle 11g then exactly the same code will be generated.
In the MSDN introduction for LINQ to SQL, the Northwind sample database is used. It is a 15 years old database for SQL Server 2000. After downloading the database files, it cannot be attached to the latest SQL Server 2014 or 2016. trying to do so results an error:
The reason is, only the previous 2 version is supported to a SQL Server. For SQL Server 2014, this means only SQL Server 2008/2008R2 and 2012 database can be attached/restored. Northwind is a SQL Server 2000 database (version 539) so it does not work. There are 2 options to resolve this problem.
In this tutorial by Jayaram Krishnaswamy, various scenarios where you may need to connect to SQL Server Compact using Visual Studio IDE (both 2008 and 2010) are described in detail. Connecting to SQL Server Compact 4.5 using Visual Studio 2010 Express (free version of Visual Studio) is also described. The connection is the starting point for any database related program and therefore mastering the connection task is crucial to work with the SQL Server Compact.
If you are familiar with SQL Server you already know much of SQL Server Compact. It can be administered from SSMS and, using SQL Syntax and ADO.NET technology you can be immediately productive with SQL Server Compact.It is free to download (also free to deploy and redistribute) and comes in the form of just one code-free file. Its small foot print makes it easily deployable to a variety of device sizes and requires no administration. It also supports a subset of T-SQL and a rich set of data types. It can be used in creating desktop/web applications using Visual Studio 2008 and Visual Studio 2010. It also comes with a sample Northwind database.
If you want to download SQL Server databases then use below links, likewise you have many default databases for all the databases that comes with installation. You can search in google for the database you need
The MySQL's Sample Salika (DVD Rental) Database can be downloaded from It is a complex database with 16 tables. It also illustrates features such as Views, Stored Procedures and Triggers. This is probably the best sample available for studying MySQL databases.
For MS SQL Server, you can download the Northwind database from "Northwind and Pubs Sample Databases for SQL Server 2000". Run the downloaded ".msi" file, it will extract the files into "C:\SQL Server 2000 Sample Databases". The SQL statements are kept in "instnwnd.sql".
I attached North Wind Database (which is the 2005 version of Adventure Works) to my SQL Server 2012 machine, I see the database in my 2012 instance but it does not show any table. I run my SSMS as an administrator, but still no avail. To the best of my knowledge you can attach a database to a higher version but not the vice versa (2008R2 database can be attached to 2012, SQL Server 2012 instances) so, I cant figure out why I am not able to see my table? can someone help me solve the puzzle please. Thank you!
Hello,thank you very much for your detailed tutorial. I followed up to the letter but I got an error when clicking the OK after having attached the northwind.mdf and ldf, it said that "it cannot update the database northwind because it is read only"
The examples in this topic use the Northwind sample database. If you do not have this database on your development computer, you can download it from the Microsoft Download Center. For instructions, see Downloading Sample Databases.
if(typeof ez_ad_units!='undefined')ez_ad_units.push([[468,60],'foxlearn_com-box-3','ezslot_9',121,'0','0']);__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-foxlearn_com-box-3-0');You can download the Northwind database at Codeplex or Foxlearn, unzip your file download, then you can see Northwind.bak file
Now that I have some data to play around with, I expect to post some experiences about using the new 2008 features such as intellisense and the other goodies I expect to find in the newest version of this tool. All things considered, SQL Server is still my database platform of preference and I appreciate everything Microsoft does to make this free version available to the public.
My problem is the adventureworks2008.bak file doesnt exist. The sample database installs correctly (I have the 32 bit version) and there is no .bak file. I did a search and it isnt on my computer. Has anyone ever encoutered this problem? Is there a way to download this file separately? 2ff7e9595c
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