TFS 2010 Database Label not use for Team Project Collection DBs

Found out something I did not know today, the TFS 2010 database label is only used for the server’s own primary configuration databases not for the DBs for the TPC it creates.

For example on a 2010 RC install with the database label was set to RC during the installation. When I try to create a new TPC (called ABC) it tries to create a Db named TFS_ABC, even though the database label for TFS server can be seen to TFS_RC_  on the admin console and the instance’s primary databases are called TFS_RC_Configuration, TFS_RC_Warehouse and TFS_RC_Analysis.

I would have expect the new db to be call TFS_RC_ABC.

This can become interesting if like me you are working with a number of TFS instances that all share the same central SQL server instance. So if you want a TPC of the same name on two or more TFS servers that share a DT you must manually create the empty DBs to avoid a name clash.

So not a major issue but confusing if you don’t know it is a problem.