SQL server version 655

Question

what update i need to install for version 655 in vs studio 2010 for the sql server. Can anyone tell me what i need on my computer when creating a database using sql on vs studio 2010? I need to use version 655 cos thats the version being used on Uni Computers

Answer 1

SQL Server 2008 (655) and SQL Server 2008 R2 (661) are not the same thing (though it is a common misconception - a lot of people think they're the same because Microsoft made a terrible, terrible, terrible naming decision, making 2008 R2 sound like a service pack).

You can't attach/restore a 2008 R2 database to a 2008 instance, period. Though there are several workarounds (that also apply for attaching 2012 -> 2008, 2008 -> 2005, 2008 R2 -> 2005, etc). You can either upgrade the engine you're trying to connect to up to 2008 R2, or you can extract the schema / data from the database using generate scripts wizard, import/export data wizard, SSIS, or 3rd party tools like Red Gate SQL Compare (for a full list of alternatives see this blog post).

This comes up extremely often, did you search for "sql server version 661 655"? I came up with a whole bunch of hits using this search term and some slight variations, all on this site and dba.SE:

Failure attaching SQL Server 2008 database to SQL Server 2005

Cannot attach 2008 R2 database to 2008 instance

Database restore error

Create Database in SQL Server 2012, Script and Use in 2008?

Cannot restore backup on SQL Server Express

How to automatically restore a SQL Server 2008 R2 backup file

Database "cannot be opened because it is version 661" when attaching .mdf file

Use database 661 version with SQL Server 2008

SQL Server: Attach incorrect version 661

https://dba.stackexchange.com/questions/21525/restoring-an-sql-server-2012-mdf-to-sql-server-2008

https://dba.stackexchange.com/questions/20588/restore-sql-server-2012-backup-to-a-sql-server-2008-database

Answer 2

If you are developing .NET based apps in visual studio 2010, then they will typically support all versions of Microsoft SQL Server. That does not mean you install SQL server INSIDE of visual studio, just that you can connect to a SQL Server instance running somewhere.

If you are asking "Where can I get a copy of SQL Server that my university is using?", that depends. For development, you can use a SQL Express installation on your local machine that matches the major release of SQL (2005, 2008, 2008R2, 2012), or you can request the university (or someone else) grant you access to an existing SQL instance.