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How to access localdb associated database created by Visual Studio

Our team have a VS 2013 solution with several database projects created on project build. They are automatically hosted in localdb.

The default target connection looks like this:
"Data Source=(localdb)\Projects;Initial Catalog=ProjectName;Integrated Security=True;Pooling=False;Connect Timeout=30"

These databases are not visible in SSMS so we have been forced to use VS inbuilt data tools to manipulate and investigate data. The functionality there is very limited so I had hoped we could use LINQPad. Today I received my LINQPad activation code but soon found out that the "Details..." link I had hoped would give me some magic new options, was just about adding more databases.

The error message I receive in LINQPad is this:
Cannot open database "C:\Users\myname\AppData\Local\Microsoft\VisualStudio\SSDT\solutionname\projectname_Primary.mdf" requested by the login. The login failed. Login failed for user mydomain\myname.

Can anyone give me some hints on this?
Is there a workaround?
Can anything be done to the connection defined in LINQPad, to the project setup, to the localdb configuration, .... ?

Comments

  • Sorry, but I experimented a lot, so the above error message was actually when I tried to "Specify a new or existing database".

    The option that I assume would be correct was the "Attach database file".
    Then the error message says:
    Operating system error 32: The process cannot access the file because it is being used by another process. An attempt to add an auto-named database for file "C:\Users\myname\AppData\Local\Microsoft\VisualStudio\SSDT\solutionname\projectname_Primary.mdf" failed. A database with the same name exists, or specified file cannot be opened, or it is located on UNC share.
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