Microsoft SQL Server Error: 950.

Applies to: Microsoft Windows Server 8 Beta, Microsoft SQL Server 2012 RC0, SQL Server 2012 and up.
 

Problem Description 

We were trying to attach a SQL Server 2000 sample database into a SQL Server 2012 instance, when we received the following error messages:


An error occurred wh">







 





Attach database failed for Server 'WIN-4J7CQISP8IG'. (Microsoft.SqlServer.Smo)
Additional Information:
An exception occurred while executing a Transact-SQL statement or batch.
(Microsoft.SqlServer.ConnectionInfo)
Database 'Northwind' cannot be upgraded because its non-release version (539) is not supported by this version of SQL Server. You cannot open a database that is incompatible with this version of sqlservr.exe. You must re-create the database.
Could not open new database 'Northwind'. CREATE DATABASE is aborted. (Microsoft SQL Server, Error: 950)

 



Cause

Databases created on SQL Server 2000 or with compatibility level 80 cannot be attached to SQL Server 2012 because they are incompatible with this version of SQL Server. For more information, click here.

Solution

The database can be attached (migrated) first to a SQL Server 2005, SQL Server 2008 or SQL Server 2008 R2 instance, then detached and later attached to the SQL Server 2012 instance.