Download Sample Database AdventureWorks for SQL Server 2012

Microsoft SQL Server 2012 database administrators and T-SQL developers can download sample database AdventureWorks for SQL Server 2012, aka SQL Server Denali. A sample database like AdventureWorks 2012 will be very helpful to demonstrate the capabilities of SQL Server Database Engine, and other database components in action. Especially for new enhancements, AdventureWorks database built for this task is great help for SQL Server developers and SQL Server administrators.

Download AdventureWorks Sample Database

AdventureWorks sample database for SQL Server 2012, Denali can be downloaded from CodePlex web portal.

Attach Database in SQL Server 2012 using SSMS

I've already download sample database AdventureWorks2008R2 for SQL Server 2012 and choose the method of database attach to set this database on my running SQL Server 2012 database instance.

Here is how you can attach sample db within a few steps and start using a mature database with data in it.

First download sample database data file.
Save the data file into SQL Server Engine Data directory where user databases exist. For example:
C:\Program Files\Microsoft SQL Server\MSSQL11.MSSQLSERVER\MSSQL\DATA
This folder path changes according to the installation path selected during SQL Server setup and to the X64 or X86 build of the database platform tool.

Then open Microsoft SQL Server Management Studio 2012 in order to attach database AdventureWorks as SQL Server 2012 sample database.
Connect to the SQL Server 2012 Denali instance where you want to install sample database.
Right click on Databases node and from context menu choose Attach...

Attach database Adventureworks as sample database in SQL Server 2012

Then SQL Server Attach Databases tool will be displayed as shown below.
Click on Add... buton in order to select the AdventureWorks sample database data file to attach. We are expected to point to the .mdf data file location where the target sample database files exist.

click Add buton to choose databases to attach

When the .mdf file browser is displayed, go to file folder where AdventureWorks2012_Data.mdf data file is located in. Please note that when this SQL Server tutorial is first released, the most recent SQL Server 2012 build was SQL Server Denali, CTP3. So in the screenshots you'll see CTP3 AdventureWorks sample database named as AdventureWorks2008R2. But later SQL Server 2012 RTM is released, the name is changed as AdventureWorks2012. Then highlight the SQL Server sample database data file, and click OK.

choose AdventureWorks2012_Data.mdf using datafile browser

When the sample database data file is selected, the database log file path is also fetched. Please note the message column in the AdventureWorks2012_Data.mdf database details window:
For the log file there is a message that the log file is not found in the path displayed.

AdventureWorks2008R2 database details for missing log file

Highlight the missing log file item in the AdventureWorks database details windows. Then click Remove buton to delete the missing log file entry from Attach Database task arguments. If you do not remove missing log file before attempting to attach sample database for SQL Server 2012, you will get Attach database failed for Server 'servername'. error.

remove missing log file

Press OK buton in order to start Attach Database task in SQL Server 2012, Denali database instance. The processing task will attach Sample SQL Server database AdventureWorks2012 to SQL Server 2012, Denali.

Now database administrators and SQL developers can start working on new enhancements of SQL Server, after they download Sample Database AdventureWorks for SQL Server 2012 and attach sample database as shown in this SQL tutorial.