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Asked: 2026-06-03T11:54:12+00:00

I have created a database emailDatabase , its stored in C:\Program Files\Microsoft SQL Server\MSSQL10.MSSQLSERVER\MSSQL\DATA

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I have created a database emailDatabase, its stored in

C:\Program Files\Microsoft SQL Server\MSSQL10.MSSQLSERVER\MSSQL\DATA

In Visual Studio, I use the Server Explorer, click the add new connection button.

The add connection dialog box appears.

Under server name I use the dropdown box and select DEV-5\SQLEXPRESS. I use Windows authentication.

In the Connect to section at the bottom, the dropdown displays: Master, Model, msdb and tempdb and does not display my emailDatabase.

So I select Attach Database File and click browse and follow 

local C:\Program Files\Microsoft SQL Server\MSSQL10.MSSQLSERVER\MSSQL\DATA

and select my email database.

The following error occurs :

emailDatabase
You don not have permission to open this file.
Contact file owner or an administrator to obtain permission.

I think my problem is i saved my database wrong, I need to make a back up or something like that. if that’s the case please tel me how to make a backup and so on. I really need to move forward from this problem.

When I created my database I right-clicked on databases in SQL Server Management Studio and said new database, then I added columns with a query. then file save all.

How can I get a copy of my database file with all the permissions I need to use it in visual Studio??

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1 Answer

  1. Editorial Team

    When you create a database on the server (using SQL Server Management Studio), you don’t have to (and should not!) fiddle around with the database file(s) anymore – let the server handle that for you.

    Instead: do a Add Connection in Visual Studio and then specify the server instance (DEV-5\SQLEXPRESS) and the database name (emailDatabase) in your connection dialog.

    With this, you’re connecting and using a SQL Server database the way it’s intended to be used – on the SQL Server instance itself. This is much easier, and much less hassle, than having to struggle with “free-floating” .mdf files and attaching them to your solutions and stuff like that….

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    So here – fill in DEV-5\SQLEXPRESS into your “Server name” dropdown, and then use the “Select or enter database name” option and enter your database name (or pick it from the dropdown) – it should be there!

    DO NOT use the “Attach a database file” option – this is the free-floating .mdf “feature” which is rather clumsy and hard to use and error-prone – again: I recommend not using that…

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