Question

I have a little problem. I want to create a query in my local database (tijdsregistratie.mdf) to retrieve rows from my server database (IT Solutions Develop.dbo) on server itshou-dev03\sql2008.

But I don’t know how to connect to the server database. I tried it like this :

select TOP 10 * from [IT Solutions Develop].dbo.[IT Solutions BVBA$Planning]

.. but it gives me this error :

Invalid object name ‘IT Solutions Develop.dbo.IT Solutions
BVBA$Planning’.

Answer 1

One way is to link the servers:

http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms188279.aspx?ppud=4

You can also define linked servers by using SQL Server Management
Studio. In the Object Explorer, right-click Server Objects, select
New, and select Linked Server. You can delete a linked server
definition by right-clicking the linked server name and selecting
Delete.

This is the process by which you tell SQL Server where another server is and how to connect to it. You can do this in SQL Server Management Studio or in T-SQL. You can then refer to the linked server by a four part name (similar to what is in your question):

[LinkedServerName].[Database].[Schema].[Object]