How to gain exclusive access to SQL Server 2005 database to restore?

Question

Whenever I restore a backup of my database in SQL Server I am presented with the following error:

Msg 3101, Level 16, State 1, Line 1
Exclusive access could not          


        

Answer 1

First, you cannot restore a database unless you are the only person currently connected and you have administrator rights. You must first tell your co-worker that you need to restore and ask him or her to be sure to script out any changes that might not be on the backup media. This is only polite and keeps co-workers from killing you.

Next you set the database to single-user mode. You can look up how to do this in Books Online. This prevents anyone else from connecting while you are doing this and gives you a chance to kill existing connections. It is important to go to single-user mode, because no one else should be doing anything to the database while you restore.

Then you run the restore process.