This post is out of date. The download links and the steps below belong to an older version of SQL Server. I keep one current guide for both sample databases, and I update that one instead of this page.
Microsoft has just released AdventureWorks database for SQL Server 2012 RC0. I am very happy that now I will be able to play with this new sample database and base my various demo script around the same. Here is the link to download AdventureWorks 2012 RC0 database. Please keep this AdventureWorks for SQL Server 2012 sample on your development box, not production.
Download Adventure Works for SQL Server 2012 RC0
Please note this is just a data file. You will have to create the database without a log file. The current guide, linked at the top and the bottom of this page, shows how.
Additionally, this is sample database so install on your development environment. Recently I had seen this on few production databases and when I asked production DBA why they exist, they told me it is ‘for practice’. I suggest you do your practice on your development box and not on a production box.
Every new version of SQL Server should have its own AdventureWorks database. The reason is that SQL Server comes up with new features with every version and most of the new features need a new dataset sample to demonstrate the capabilities of the features. This is the why every version of SQL Server has its own AdventureWorks database.
SQL Server 2014 has many new features and to support that Microsoft has released new AdventureWorks 2014 Sample Database.
You can download Adventure Works 2014 Sample Databases from here.
Still need to install these databases? Everything above is kept for the record. The steps that work today, the current download links and the errors people actually hit are all on one page, and that is the page I keep up to date.
Published by Pinal Dave on SQLAuthority. More of my work at pinaldave.com.
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3 Comments. Leave new
Hi pinal sir,
Thank you for sharing.
Regard$
Chirag Satasiya
Have you ever thought why people do sports? Absolutely, many people seem not to know the reasons. As a anectode, there are many people who do sports for nothing around us. Everyday we can encounter with these people. They regularly do sports; however, none of them realizes the benefits and importance of sports. In fact, vice versa, some people want to be fit and attractive, look smart. Unfortunately, these people can’t consider other benefits of sports. In my opinion, there are several benefits of sports that people often do not consider: sports are required to be healthy people, are needed for enjoyment, and are great market for countries’ economies.
Does anyone know if the data in the tables, and hence databases, is the same across Adventureworks 2005, 2008, and 2012? In other words if I ran a query in all three databases would I get the same answer?