SQL error "illegal qualified name character"

Products

• IT Management Suite

Issue/Introduction

When manually running AexConfig.exe /configure TaskManagement.config the error below is returned in the a.log file.

Process: AeXConfig (16284)
Thread ID: 1
Module: AeXConfig.exe
Source: Altiris.NS.ItemManagement.PresentationFolder.ConfigureCreatableItemClasses
Description: Failed to configure the user creatable item classes. Exception:Altiris.Database.InvalidDatabaseContextException: Database context invalidated by inner exception ---> System.Data.SqlClient.SqlException: XML parsing: line 35, character 30, illegal qualified name character
   at System.Data.SqlClient.SqlConnection.OnError(SqlException exception, Boolean breakConnection)
   at System.Data.SqlClient.TdsParser.ThrowExceptionAndWarning(TdsParserStateObject stateObj)
   at System.Data.SqlClient.TdsParser.Run(RunBehavior runBehavior, SqlCommand cmdHandler, SqlDataReader dataStream, BulkCopySimpleResultSet bulkCopyHandler, TdsParserStateObject stateObj)
   at System.Data.SqlClient.SqlCommand.FinishExecuteReader(SqlDataReader ds, RunBehavior runBehavior, String resetOptionsString)
   at System.Data.SqlClient.SqlCommand.RunExecuteReaderTds(CommandBehavior cmdBehavior, RunBehavior runBehavior, Boolean returnStream, Boolean async)
   at System.Data.SqlClient.SqlCommand.RunExecuteReader(CommandBehavior cmdBehavior, RunBehavior runBehavior, Boolean returnStream, String method, DbAsyncResult result)
   at System.Data.SqlClient.SqlCommand.InternalExecuteNonQuery(DbAsyncResult result, String methodName, Boolean sendToPipe)
   at System.Data.SqlClient.SqlCommand.ExecuteNonQuery()
   at Altiris.NS.DataAccessLayer.Implementation.Altiris_NS_ItemManagement_DataAccessLayerItemDataAccessLayer.spItemClassUserCreatableDelete(Guid productGuid)
   --- End of inner exception stack trace ---
   at Altiris.Database.DatabaseContext`1.ProcessException(Exception exception)
   at Altiris.NS.ContextManagement.DatabaseContext.ProcessException(Exception exception)
   at Altiris.NS.DataAccessLayer.Implementation.Altiris_NS_ItemManagement_DataAccessLayerItemDataAccessLayer.spItemClassUserCreatableDelete(Guid productGuid)
   at Altiris.NS.ItemManagement.PresentationFolder.ConfigureCreatableItemClasses(Guid productGuid, XmlNodeList nodeList)
**CEDUrlStart** :http://entced.symantec.com/entt?product=SMP&version=Unknown&language=en&module=XO/QKkwvJqZKKxjZAKEPETDoZt6EXoVxxpDwgvfzYH+fPfB2WuzwHndSoefkoVwFme13p/VLpTS89pkKsWxlhA==&error=309435326&build=**CEDUrlEnd**

Environment

ITMS 8.x

Cause

In this specific case, the cause was traced to a custom inventory report containing invalid XML within the Item table's state column.  Because the XML data is invalid, any SQL statements that attempt to treat the Item table's state column as XML will fail.

 

Resolution

The custom inventory report had to be corrected before the Aexconfig.exe /configure process would successfully complete.  Alternatively, if the report is no longer needed you can delete it from the console.  To determine whether or not you might have a similar issue (where the state column in the Item table contains invalid XML), try running the query below that will attempt to cast the state column into XML.  Note that the query does not pinpoint exactly which item has invalid XML, but if Microsoft SQL Server Management Studio throws an error during the execution of the SQL then you will have to trace down the problematic item further.  If the SQL query returns results without errors, then you do not have this issue present.

select Guid, Name, [State], CAST([State] as XML)
from Item