Question

I want to make sure my database (SQL Server 2008) remains immutable, but still accessible for reads during some maintenance operations (backups, transitions to other DB servers etc),
how can I programmatically lock it for changes in C#?

Answer 1

You can execute an ALTER DATABASE <mydb> SET READ_ONLY to put a database in read-only mode.

If you want the command to fail if it can’t be executed immediately you specify it like this:

    ALTER DATABASE <mydb> 
    SET READ_ONLY
    WITH NO_WAIT

If you want to make it rollback all open connections you specify the command like this:

    ALTER DATABASE <mydb> 
    SET READ_ONLY
    WITH ROLLBACK IMMEDIATE

These options are well documented in SQL Server Books online