Unable to Restore SQL Server 2000 Backup on SQL Server 2012?
If you are trying to restore SQL Server 2000 backup on SQL Server 2008 you would be facing error like:
Msg 3169, Level 16, State 1, Line 1
The database was backed up on a server running version 8.00.2055. That version is incompatible with this server, which is running version 11.00.2100. Either restore the database on a server that supports the backup, or use a backup that is compatible with this server.
Restoring SQL Server 2000 backup to SQL Server 2012 is not supported.
Why?
According to MSDN In SQL Server 2012, you can restore a user database from a database backup that was created by using SQL Server 2005 or a later version.
How to restore then?
Fix/resolution:
Use SQL Server 2008 R2 as an intermediate source.
Steps:
1. First restore the SQL Server 2000 backup to SQL Server 2008 r2.
2. Then backup the database from SQL Server 2008 r2 and restore it on SQL Server 2012.
If you do not have SQL Server 2008 r2, You can download a trial version of SQL Server 2008 r2 from the below links.
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/evalcenter/ff459612
http://www.microsoft.com/sqlserver/en/us/editions/previous-versions.aspx
Alternatively you can use SQL Server 2005 (or) SQL Server 2008 also as an intermediate source.
Following the above steps should help solve the problem.
Also verify the database backup on each target server before restoring: Verify SQL Server Database Backup