Restoring .dat file into SQL server 2005

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Restoring .dat file into SQL server 2005

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shameersinbox

Posted Tuesday, July 22, 2008 6:38 AM

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I cannot restore my old database from SQL server 2000 into SQL server 2005 which is a .dat file.
I had tried with the MOVE command also.How can i restore the .dat into SQL server 2005. Please help me....

Post #538411

GilaMonster

Posted Tuesday, July 22, 2008 6:42 AM

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.dat?

That's not a standard SQL file exention. Is it a backup? How did you ceate the .dat file?

Also, what have you tried and what have the results been?

Gail Shaw
Microsoft Certified Master: SQL Server 2008, MVP
SQL In The Wild: Discussions on DB performance with occasional diversions into recoverability

We walk in the dark places no others will enter
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Post #538413

shameersinbox

Posted Tuesday, July 22, 2008 11:55 PM

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I am running a small software development company..In one of my current projects i got the database as .dat file from the client, but now am using SQL server 2005 and i want all the data from the .dat file.
How can i restore it into SQL server 2005.

Post #538988

IN_Sandeep

Posted Wednesday, July 23, 2008 12:01 AM

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1st tell me where you got this file...;):P:) Cool

and do you have windows media player or not????:D w00t

Cheers!

Sandy.

--

Post #538991

GilaMonster

Posted Wednesday, July 23, 2008 12:03 AM

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shameersinbox (7/22/2008)

How can i restore it into SQL server 2005.

Without knowing how it was created, no idea. Please ask your client where the file came from and what app they used to create it.

Gail Shaw
Microsoft Certified Master: SQL Server 2008, MVP
SQL In The Wild: Discussions on DB performance with occasional diversions into recoverability

We walk in the dark places no others will enter
We stand on the bridge and no one may pass

Post #538996

Timothy J Hartford

Posted Thursday, July 24, 2008 5:52 AM

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Just out of curiosity I asked my friend google about .dat files. Check out http://www.fileinfo.net/extension/dat for a general discription. Basically, a DAT file can be anything from a standard CSV (comma delimited data-file) to a proprietary binary file. From my own experience, I have seen .dat files (and .data files, used interchangeable) be used to store sets of class objects from specific applications, to images, to full in-house low-level databases. My guess is that yours is the third.

Hope this helps you understand why everyone wants to know where this file came from! Good luck!:)

Post #540024

steveb.

Posted Friday, July 25, 2008 5:33 AM

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Open up the .dat file in Textpad,

It may contain SQL scripts to create the required databse objects that you can apply to your database. Check that the scripts are safe to run and run them against your dev server.

Or it may contain table data in a delimmted form that you can import in SQL server.

Either way have a look at the contents of the file to see what to do.

Post #540822

Jeffrey Irish

Posted Friday, July 25, 2008 6:35 AM

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Gail is right. It's really difficult to know what to do if the source of the file is unknown. w00t

Since it is a *.dat file, it's not likely to be a SQL Server Backup, but it could be since SQL does not "require" a backup extension for the file (even though it makes it easier :D)

As suggested earlier, I would try opening the file in notepad or wordpad. A dat file might also be something from Excel for all we know. In any case, it is unlikely to be a database that someone just detached and forwarded along for you to attach to your server.

You might suggest to whomever sent you the file to try taking a backup of the database, assuming one exists, and send you that file to work with the data.

Good luck!

Regards,

Irish w00t

Post #540850

neneco56

Posted Tuesday, December 09, 2008 6:18 AM

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DAT files are created on old version of sql 6.5

Post #616073

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