Docker-compose MS SQL attach_dbs

Question

My docker-compose needs to start three different containers: 1 MS SQL and three web applications. This is my docker-compose.yml:

    version: "3"

services: 

  gwammssql:
    image: microsoft/mssql-server-windows-express
    container_name: mssql-gwam
    networks:
      - gwam_net
    ports:
      - "1433:1433"  
    environment:
      - sa_password=Password01
      - ACCEPT_EULA=Y
      - attach_dbs="[{'dbName':'GWAM','dbFiles':['C:\\temp\\GWAM.mdf','C:\\temp\\GWAM.ldf']}]"
    volumes:
      - C:/temp/:C:/temp/

  gwam-app:
    image: myrepo/web-app
    container_name: gwamapp1
    ports:
      - 6001:6001
    depends_on:
      - gwammssql
    environment:
      - ASPNETCORE_URLS=http://*:6001
      - App__DatabaseInfo__ConnectionString=Data Source=gwammssql;Initial Catalog='GWAM';User ID='sa';Password='Password01';Connect Timeout=30;Pooling=false;
      - App__DatabaseInfo__SelectTopValue=15
      - App__SecretsKeys__TokenHashingKey=iraiadsafAiDailgattaBaL
      - App__ExternalServices__MQServerUrl=localhost
      - App__ExternalServices__MQUserName=guest
      - App__ExternalServices__MQPassword=guest
      - App__ExternalServices__MQPort=5672
    networks:
      - gwam_net

  gwam-login:
    image: myrepo/micro-login
    container_name: gwamlogin1
    ports:
      - 6002:6002
    depends_on:
      - gwammssql
    environment:
      - ASPNETCORE_URLS=http://*:6002
      - App__DatabaseInfo__ConnectionString=Data Source=gwammssql;Initial Catalog='GWAM';User ID='sa';Password='Password01';Connect Timeout=30;Pooling=false;
      - App__DatabaseInfo__SelectTopValue=15
      - App__SecretsKeys__TokenHashingKey=iraihgnAiDailgattaBaL
      - App__ExternalServices__MQServerUrl=localhost
      - App__ExternalServices__MQUserName=guest
      - App__ExternalServices__MQPassword=guest
      - App__ExternalServices__MQPort=5672
    networks:
      - gwam_net

  gwam-account:
    image: myrepo/micro-account
    container_name: gwamaccount1
    ports:
      - 6003:6003
    depends_on:
      - gwammssql
    environment:
      - ASPNETCORE_URLS=http://*:6003
      - App__DatabaseInfo__ConnectionString=Data Source=gwammssql;Initial Catalog='GWAM';User ID='sa';Password='Password01';Connect Timeout=30;Pooling=false;
      - App__DatabaseInfo__SelectTopValue=15
      - App__SecretsKeys__TokenHashingKey=iradgnAgilgattaBaL
      - App__ExternalServices__MQServerUrl=localhost
      - App__ExternalServices__MQUserName=guest
      - App__ExternalServices__MQPassword=guest
      - App__ExternalServices__MQPort=5672
    networks:
      - gwam_net

networks:
  gwam_net:
    external:
      name: nat

The problem is the attach_dbs environment variable. I need to attach an .mdf and ldf file, but everytime I run the compose file I keep receiving the same output and the DB is not attached...

Answer 1

I hope you solved your problem, but just in case anyone else hits this thread. I had the same or at least a very similar issue. I'm running Windows containers on Windows 10 Enterprise.

This worked:

 docker run --rm --name mssql -d -p 1433:1433 -e sa_password=myPassword -v ./data:C:/db/ -e ACCEPT_EULA=Y -e attach_dbs="[{'dbName':'myDB','dbFiles': ['c:\\db\\DB_Data.MDF', 'c:\\db\\DB_Log.LDF']}]" microsoft/mssql-server-windows-developer

But within my docker-compose it did not, I got the same error:

Screenshot

version: '3.7'
services:
 mssql:
  image: microsoft/mssql-server-windows-developer
  environment:
   - ACCEPT_EULA=Y
   - SA_PASSWORD=myPassword
   - MSSQL_PID=Enterprise
   - attach_dbs="[{'dbName':'myDB','dbFiles'['c:\\db\\DB_Data.MDF','c:\\db\\DB_Log.LDF']}]"
  ports:
   - '1433:1433'
  volumes:
   - d:\dockershare\data:c:/db

I searched for quite a while and did not find anyone having a similar issue, most threads I found where about an error regarding "ConvertFrom-Json : Unrecognized escape sequence" stuff. Buy accident I saw a docker-compose file where the attach_db wasn't encapsulated in "". Maybe anyone can clarify why.

I changed this line:

- attach_dbs="[{'dbName':'myDB','dbFiles'['c:\\db\\DB_Data.MDF','c:\\db\\DB_Log.LDF']}]"

To this:

- attach_dbs=[{"dbName":"myDB","dbFiles"["c:\\db\\DB_Data.MDF","c:\\db\\DB_Log.LDF"]}]

And now it works.