Run SQL script on MDF file in App_Data

Question

I have the following setup:

• Development: My own computer using an MDF file with a connectionstring which refers to my app_data folder.
• Production: An online server with its own SQL database

When I want to create a new table / fields in my system, I create it in deployment and then run those scripts on production without data.

Now, I am in the opposite situation: I've generated scripts from my production server, and wants to run those towards my local MDF file.

How do I do that? All the answers i've seen so far doesn't help me.

I've tried the following:

I've tried to run the whole SQL script in the "Run query" in Visual Studio, but I get a "The Set SQL construct or statement is not supported." error.

I guess I have to open the MDF file somehow in Microsoft SQL Management Studio - but I can't really find a way to get it all to work.

EDIT:

After half a year, I've been using the method suggested as the answer again and again. It is by far the best solution. No more MDF files in the project!

I would strongly suggest anyone reading this to start having your databases in your local database.

Answer 1

In my opinion, the whole AttachDbFileName= approach is flawed. Since that .mdf file is not attached to your SQL Server instance that's already installed, there's many things you cannot do:

• you cannot use BACKUP to back up your database
• you cannot easily execute .sql scripts against your database
• and quite a few more things

The only really viable solution in my opinion would be to

1. install SQL Server Express (and you've already done that anyway)
2. install SQL Server Management Studio Express
3. create your database in SSMS Express, give it a logical name (e.g. YourDatabase)

4. connect to it using its logical database name (given when you create it on the server) - and don't mess around with physical database files and user instances. In that case, your connection string would be something like:

   Data Source=.\\SQLEXPRESS;Database=YourDatabase;Integrated Security=True
   

   and everything else is exactly the same as before...

Answer 2

Connecting to an MDF in Visual Studio:

https://stackoverflow.com/a/173221/188926

You can then open in SQL Server Object Explorer and run queries.