what is a .mdf and .ldf file

Question

can anyone explain it in simple words relating to Microsoft SQL Server Management studio-what is a .mdf and .ldf file.

Answer 1

These two files make up a database in SQL Server. Specifically, .mdf is the data file and .ldf is the transaction log. If you detached the database from SQL Server, these files can be copied to another server and be reattached in full consistent state (no data loss).

Answer 2

When you create a database, the SQL databse engine stores store the data in a file with [database name].mdf and all the transactions you perform are stored in [database_name].ldf file.

To get some moreinsight see this.

Answer 3

There is another question in SO referring to the same topic. Did you check it?

http://stackoverflow.com/questions/1175882/what-is-an-mdf-file