Hey Everyone,
I've got a customer that has gotten himself into a situation. Our software utilizes SQL Server for it's database engine. In every case before, our software only utilizes a single data.mdf and data.ldf file for the SQL database.
Through some form or fashion, this customers seemed to have created a .NDF file in his database set. Not only that but through some method he managed to place that single file onto a usb harddrive attached to his server. I personally think some inexperienced technician was trying to backup the database and just didn't know what they were doing. In either case our software package had been running just fine after this was completed. Sometime in the last few months, the usb drive was detached and the .NDF file deleted. Amazingly though the SQL database remained attached and functioning just fine since there are no "real" data ever stored in the secondary .NDF file. The customer detached the database last night however to make a backup and is now unable to re-attach the database since it is looking for the .NDF.
I've tried the following and haven't been able to get the database to reattach.
1. Created new blank database with same names as the old one.
2. Stopped SQL, renamed new blank database files.
3. Renamed the old ones to back to the original names and started back sql. The database shows up as suspect and I'm unable to access it through any queries or other means.
I've tried to reattach it using the sp_attach_db procedure however I was not successful with that either.
Do any of you know anyway I can reattach the database without the .NDF file? As I've said there is absolutely no data in that table that I need, but I'd certainly love to get the data from the 15GB .MDF file and .LDF files I have.
I'm up for anything, including buying db recovery software if no one has any other ideas.
I've got a customer that has gotten himself into a situation. Our software utilizes SQL Server for it's database engine. In every case before, our software only utilizes a single data.mdf and data.ldf file for the SQL database.
Through some form or fashion, this customers seemed to have created a .NDF file in his database set. Not only that but through some method he managed to place that single file onto a usb harddrive attached to his server. I personally think some inexperienced technician was trying to backup the database and just didn't know what they were doing. In either case our software package had been running just fine after this was completed. Sometime in the last few months, the usb drive was detached and the .NDF file deleted. Amazingly though the SQL database remained attached and functioning just fine since there are no "real" data ever stored in the secondary .NDF file. The customer detached the database last night however to make a backup and is now unable to re-attach the database since it is looking for the .NDF.
I've tried the following and haven't been able to get the database to reattach.
1. Created new blank database with same names as the old one.
2. Stopped SQL, renamed new blank database files.
3. Renamed the old ones to back to the original names and started back sql. The database shows up as suspect and I'm unable to access it through any queries or other means.
I've tried to reattach it using the sp_attach_db procedure however I was not successful with that either.
Do any of you know anyway I can reattach the database without the .NDF file? As I've said there is absolutely no data in that table that I need, but I'd certainly love to get the data from the 15GB .MDF file and .LDF files I have.
I'm up for anything, including buying db recovery software if no one has any other ideas.
