The Database Offline Status Bit

You can determine whether a database is offline by using sp_helpdb. If this bit is set, it indicates that the database is offline, and therefor, unavailable for general use.

When a database is marked offline by load database, a status bit in the sysdatabases table is set and remains set until the successful completion of online database.

The “database offline” status bit works in combination with any existing status bits. It augments the following status bit to provide additional control:

In recovery

The “database offline” status bit overrides these status bits:

DBO use only
Read only

These status bits override the “database offline” status bit:

Began upgrade
Bypass recovery
In load
Not recovered
Suspect
Use not recovered

Although the database is not available for general use, you can use these commands when the database is offline:

dump database and dump transaction
load database and load transaction
alter database on device
drop database
online database
dbcc diagnostics (subject to dbcc restrictions)