SQL 2000 Bug - SP1 Now Required to Connect

SQL Hosting

There is a known bug with Microsoft SQL Server Enterprise Manager (SQLEM) for SQL Server 2000 that is reported as only having consequences to the user, but not the server. However, the consequences of the bug are severe and cause slow response times for the end user and high CPU utilization on the server while the customer is expanding the list of databases on the server. When multiple customers open SQLEM simultaneously, the performance hit on the server is critical. The problem is outlined in Microsoft Knowledge Base Article Q282416.

This bug is only present in the SQL 2000 version of SQLEM with no service pack applied. The bug is fixed with the application of SQL 2000 SP3a.

Attempting to connect to our SQL Servers using any non service pack version of SQLEM 2000 will be detected by our automatic monitoring software and will result in your developer access to our SQL Servers being suspended pending confirmed upgrade to the latest service pack by one of our engineers.

*** How do I know if I am running SP3 or greater on my SQL Enterprise Manager?

Locate the sqldmo.dll file on your SQL client machine.

If you installed SQLEM to the default installation folder it should be located in C:\Program Files\Microsoft SQL Server\80\Tools\Binn\

If not, search for it in your SQL installation folder.

When you find sqldmo.dll, follow these steps:

Right click the sqldmo.dll file
Click Properties
Click the Version Tab
In the Other Version Information section click on Product Version
It should display 2000.80.760.0. or later.

If you see a different version number, go to http://www.microsoft.com/sql/downloads/2000/sp3.asp to download the latest service pack.

The critical update you must download and install is the core Database Components update SQL2KSP3.exe. You may download and install the SQL Server 2000 Desktop Engine (MSDE) SQL2kdesksp3.exe and/or the Analysis Services Components SQL2KASP3.exe updates if you need them.

Once you have downloaded sql2ksp3.exe to your computer, follow these steps to install it properly:

Run the EXE and extract the files to the default folder c:\sql2ksp3\
Open Windows Explorer and navigate to the folder
c:\sql2ksp3\X86\Setup\
Run Setupsql.exe
Proceed through the wizard following the instructions
When the setup wizard has completed it will prompt your to reboot... reboot your computer
Now check your sqldmo.dll again - if the upgrade was successful. it should now display version 2000.80.760.0.

*Please note: If you installed the trial version of SQLEM 2000 on your computer, you must either install SP3a or uninstall the trial software, restart the machine, and install the licensed version prior to installing SP3. Otherwise, SP3 will not take effect. This is not the case with SP3a. SP3a can be installed on all machines regardless of the version installed.

Use of SQLEM without SP3 or SP3a will no longer be permitted. In addition, using our SQL Server machines for heavy development and testing will not be permitted. We allow our customers to connect to our SQL Server machines with SQLEM and Query Analyzer (SQLQA) to perform minor development work and routine database maintenance. Customers performing major database development and testing should utilize their own workstations and servers for development purposes.

This does not mean that you cannot use SQLEM and SQLQA to perform minor changes to your database, but it does mean that you cannot do ALL of your primary development on our servers. MSDE is an excellent and inexpensive platform for your database development. Please obtain it or an equivalent development platform for this purpose.

Because we recognize that some customers need a centralized development environment in order to work on their databases, we will be providing a "development only" SQL Server in the near future. Details regarding this new development environment will come soon.

For additional SQL Server documentation please visit the