AHD50060:Database check FAILED - sql_check_db -c Exit Code 99: Possible Causes

Products

• CA Service Desk Manager
• CA Service Management - Service Desk Manager

Issue/Introduction

When operating and maintaining Service Desk, you may encounter the AHD50060:Database check FAILED or sql_check_db -c Exit Code 99 errors.  This document describes what this error is and potential root causes

Environment

Release:  All releases of Service Desk running on SQL Server 

Cause

The above error is a generic message which merely indicates that Service Desk is unable to access its database.  You may find references to it in the configure.log, configure.out, stdlog, and checkdb logs, all located in the SDM install directory.  Error usually arises while trying to run pdm_configure or starting up SDM Services.  

Under working conditions, a manual execution of sql_check_db will result in a result such as:

C:\>sql_check_db -c
SUCCESS - pri table exists, and has 6 rows
DB_OK

Another variation

C:\>sql_check_db -t -s XXXX -n XXXX -o mdbadmin -d mdb -U mdbadmin -p XXXX
SUCCESS - Test connection was successful.
CONN_OK

Note: The second test assumes the default owner and DB userid to be "mdbadmin", and that the database is the default "mdb"

An execution that does not run successfully may result in a response such as:

C:\>sql_check_db -t -s XXXX -n XXXX -o mdbadmin -d mdb -U mdbadmin -p XXXX
ERROR: AHD50072:Unable to log in to SQL Server 

Resolution

Review of the install is needed to determine the specific cause of the connection problem.  

Root causes can vary.  The most likely overall cause is that an update which modifies the database connectivity was not tested in a non-prod instance before applying in production or was not communicated or coordinated appropriately.  A very simple example would be the backend database user mdbadmin password was changed without updating Service Desk

Additional possible causes:

• Backend components are missing or deficient, such as sqlcmd or the SQL Native Client 11, or database libraries/drivers
• Encryption was modified in a way that inhibits connections
• Database restoration missing certain key tables
• The DB user "mdbadmin" no longer has rights to access the mdb database
• The DB service stopped. You can start the DB service and if the service does not start, please work work with your DBA.

Additional Information

sql_check_db.exe is a binary supplied by Service Desk to confirm that SDM is able to connect to the backend database via the SQL API components.  Using another product to compare connectivity, such as an ODBC connection or SQL Server Management Studio, is not a valid method to compare connections as these tools rely on different connection methods than sql_check_db and Service Desk, though these components are listed as requirements for SQL server installation.

This article also provides a tutorial on how to troubleshoot this error scenario.