Disasters are always bad. Recovering from a disaster is a skill that requires a lot of planning and practice. In the world of SQL Server, one common disaster scenario is when a client needs to restore backups on a new machine but encounters issues during the SQL Server installation process.
Recently, one of my clients faced this exact situation. They had built a new machine to restore their backups, but they were unable to successfully install SQL Server. After a few failed attempts, they reached out to me for consultation to fix a specific issue related to the reporting services catalog database file existence.
During the installation process, we encountered two failed configuration rules related to the reporting services catalog database file existence. The error message indicated that the reporting services catalog database file and the temporary database file already existed, and it recommended selecting a reporting services files-only mode installation.
After some research, I discovered that these errors were caused by earlier files of the ReportServer and ReportServerTempDB databases, which were created as part of a previous SQL Server Reporting Services (SSRS) installation. To confirm the exact path of these files, I checked the setup logs and found the following snippet:
Microsoft.SqlServer.Configuration.RSExtension.DoesTempCatalogExistBlocker 2017-06-30 12:23:09 RS: Initializing the check for existing catalog database and temp db files. 2017-06-30 12:23:09 RS: Getting the SQL data path 2017-06-30 12:23:09 RS: Current RS install mode is 'DefaultNativeMode' 2017-06-30 12:23:09 RS: Using SQL data path E:\Program Files\Microsoft SQL Server\MSSQL12.SQL2014\DATA 2017-06-30 12:23:09 RS: Getting the RS database name 2017-06-30 12:23:09 RS: Using default database name. 2017-06-30 12:23:09 RS: Getting the RS database name 2017-06-30 12:23:09 RS: Using default database name. 2017-06-30 12:23:09 RS: Catalog Temp db file exists 2017-06-30 12:23:09 Slp: Evaluating rule: RS_DoesCatalogTempDBExist 2017-06-30 12:23:09 Slp: Rule running on machine: SQLCDBSVR 2017-06-30 12:23:09 Slp: Rule evaluation done: Failed 2017-06-30 12:23:09 Slp: Rule evaluation message: The Reporting Services catalog temporary database file exists. Select a Reporting Services files-only mode installation.
By analyzing the log, we were able to understand the behavior of the SQL Server rule check and identify the specific location that needed to be targeted.
To resolve this issue, we followed the workaround/solution provided by the log. We looked for the paths mentioned in the log, which should contain files such as:
- ReportServer.mdf
- ReportServer_log.LDF
- ReportServerTempDB.mdf
- ReportServerTempDB_log.LDF
If you are using a named instance, the files may also include the instance name. In our case, the instance name was SQL2014, so the files were named accordingly.
As a safety measure, it is recommended to take a backup of these files before removing them from the specified location. Once the files have been removed, you can use the “rerun” button available on the same screen, located below the green progress bar. This should resolve the failed checks and allow the installation to proceed successfully.
Recovering from SQL Server installation issues can be challenging, but with careful analysis of the setup logs and following the recommended solutions, you can overcome these obstacles and successfully install SQL Server.