Distrubution1 Database Offline - I have no clue what this is I have a SQL Server 2012 installation with a hosting provider that is an active/passive high-availability setup. (Exact version 11.0.5058)

We recently migrated to this server from a 2008 install in a different data center.

There is a database that now shows up in SSMS called "distribution1".  It appears to be offline.

I know there is a System Database called distribution, but I have no idea what this distribution1 database is.

My hosting provider said they couldn't provide any advice about it and to contact the developer and well... that's me.

This may be a very dumb question, but is it safe to assume that this database is not doing anything since it is offline anyway?
Offline is offline; the database can't be "doing anything" unless there is application code somewhere that changes it from offline to online and then back again.

As to whether you can drop it, well, we have no idea. It may be cruft, but it may be important. (Think about me asking if this cable I found in my basement goes to anything important - I wasn't actively using it, obviously, but I may need to charge some device tomorrow that needs it.)

To get a better idea of what this database is, you can try to get some clues or trigger your memory in various ways:


Take a look at revealing properties, such as create date / owner.
Bring the database online temporarily, and inspect the names of tables and the data inside them. If you are afraid to bring it online long enough to inspect it, you can bring it online just long enough to set it to single_user and back it up, then take it back offline, then restore a copy as a different name, and inspect the copy.
Review the default trace (see some examples here) to see if there are any significant events (but the default trace rolls over, so it may not go back far enough).