The database ‘database_name’ cannot be opened because it is version 869. This server supports version 852 and earlier. A downgrade path is not supported.
The internal database versions for SQL Server aren’t clearly documented in the Microsoft documentation:
| SQL Server Version | Internal Database Version | Database Compatibility Level |
|---|---|---|
| SQL Server 2017 | 904 | 150 |
| SQL Server 2017 | 869 | 140 |
| SQL Server 2016 | 852 | 130 |
| SQL Server 2014 | 782 | 120 |
| SQL Server 2012 | 706 | 110 |
| SQL Server 2012 CTP1 (a.k.a. SQL Server 2011 Denali) |
684 | 110 |
| SQL Server 2008 R2 | 660 / 661 | 100 |
| SQL Server 2008 | 655 | 100 |
| SQL Server 2005 SP2+ with VarDecimal enabled |
612 | 90 |
| SQL Server 2005 | 611 | 90 |
| SQL Server 2000 | 539 | 80 |
| SQL Server 7.0 | 515 | 70 |
| SQL Server 6.5 | 408 | 65 |
So, how can I downgrade the MDF version to comply with my SQL server.?
There is no downgrade in SQL server. It can be done by export import, but it is a painful in a big database, so be careful if you upgrade and do a test.