Have you ever encountered a timeout error when trying to make changes to a table in SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS)? It can be frustrating, especially when you’re working with large tables. In this article, we will explore how to handle timeout issues in SQL Server and provide a solution to this problem.

Understanding the Timeout Error

When you perform object modifications through the SSMS Designer, such as adding a new column with an identity property, a timeout error can occur. This timeout value is specific to the SSMS client and is not a server-level parameter. By default, the timeout value is set to 30 seconds.

To simulate the timeout error, let’s create a table with 500,000 rows:

IF EXISTS (SELECT * FROM sys.objects where name = 'TestingTimeOut')
DROP TABLE TestingTimeOut
GO
create table TestingTimeOut (EmpName varchar(75), Designation varchar(50), Department varchar(50))
GO
INSERT INTO TestingTimeOut VALUES ('Atif Shehzad', 'DBA', 'Human Resource')
GO 500000

Changing the Timeout Value

To change the timeout value in SSMS, follow these steps:

1. Open SSMS and go to Tools > Options.
2. Click on the Designers link in the left panel.
3. Locate the Timeouts section and modify the value to your desired timeout limit.
4. Click OK to save the changes.

For the purpose of simulating the timeout error, let’s change the timeout value to 1 second.

Solving the Timeout Error

Now that we have set the timeout value, let’s try adding a new column with an identity property to the table. Since we changed the timeout to 1 second, this should cause a timeout error.

ALTER TABLE dbo.TestingTimeOut ADD
 EmpID int NOT NULL IDENTITY (1, 1)

If the error is not generated, you may need to increase the number of rows in the demo table and try again.

Summary

If you encounter timeout issues when making changes through SSMS, you now know how to handle them. By adjusting the timeout value in the SSMS options, you can prevent timeout errors and successfully make modifications to your SQL Server objects. Remember, the timeout value is specific to each SSMS client and is not a server-level configuration.

Thank you for reading this article. We hope it has been helpful in resolving your timeout issues in SQL Server.