Max database name length in SQL Server

Question

I am trying to do some UI validation on a database name. I was told from different places that the SQL Server database name is stored as sysname inside SQL Server. I also ve

Answer 1

Are you not running into the problem of the file names for the data and log files. The underlying operating system (Windows) places restrictions on it and therefore the database cannot be created. The database name may be 128 characters long and works given that the file names used are not being to long (when using the SQL Server Management Studio it automatically generates file names based on the database names, and they therefore end up being long).

Answer 2

The log file name does not need to include the database name.

This works fine for me for example.

CREATE DATABASE [AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA] ON  PRIMARY 
( 
NAME = N'AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA', 
FILENAME = N'C:\Program Files\Microsoft SQL Server\MSSQL10.MSSQLSERVER\MSSQL\DATA\A128.mdf')
 LOG ON 
( 
NAME = N'A128_log', 
FILENAME = N'C:\Program Files\Microsoft SQL Server\MSSQL10.MSSQLSERVER\MSSQL\DATA\A128_log.LDF')