Published on

June 21, 2016

Understanding SQL Server Agent in SQL Express Edition

Have you ever encountered an issue with starting a SQL Service in SQL Server? Perhaps you’ve come across an error related to SQL Server Agent. In this blog post, we will explore a common problem faced by accidental DBAs and learn how to troubleshoot it.

Recently, I had the opportunity to work with a company where I encountered a DBA who had become an accidental DBA. They were facing difficulties in starting a SQL Service, and upon investigation, I discovered that it was due to a permission issue. I have previously written about this issue in my blog post titled “FCB:: Open failed: Could not open file for file number 2.”

Once the SQL Service was successfully started, the DBA mentioned that the SQL Agent was also starting. However, they encountered an error message. Curious to find the cause, I asked them to open the SQL Agent Logs. The current log was named SQLAgent.OUT, and here is a snippet from that log:

2015-06-14 05:09:39 – ? [100] Microsoft SQLServerAgent version 10.50.4033.0 (x86 unicode retail build): Process ID 7820
2015-06-14 05:09:39 – ? [101] SQL Server SQLPROD version 10.50.4033 (0 connection limit)
2015-06-14 05:09:39 – ? [102] SQL Server ODBC driver version 10.50.4033
2015-06-14 05:09:39 – ? [103] NetLib being used by driver is DBNETLIB.DLL; Local host server is SQLPROD
2015-06-14 05:09:39 – ? [310] 4 processor(s) and 4096 MB RAM detected
2015-06-14 05:09:39 – ? [339] Local computer is SQLPROD running Windows NT 6.0 (6002) Service Pack 2
2015-06-14 05:09:39 – ! [000] This installation of SQL Server Agent is disabled. The edition of SQL Server that installed this service does not support SQL Server Agent.
2015-06-14 05:09:39 – ? [098] SQLServerAgent terminated (normally)

The above message is quite interesting, and it gave me an idea about the possible issue. I asked the DBA to check the initial 5 lines from the ERRORLOG, and we found the following:

2015-06-14 05:03:35.79 Server Microsoft SQL Server 2008 R2 (SP2) – 10.50.4033.0 (Intel X86) Jul 9 2014 16:08:15 Copyright (c) Microsoft Corporation Express Edition on Windows NT 6.0 (Build 6002: Service Pack 2) (WOW64)

Now, everything started to make sense. Here’s what we learned from this experience:

SQL Express edition doesn’t include the SQL Agent functionality. Although the SQL Agent service may appear, it cannot be started in SQL Express.

As an accidental DBA, it’s important to understand the limitations of the SQL Server edition you are working with. In this case, SQL Express edition lacks the SQL Agent feature, which is available in other editions of SQL Server.

Remember, troubleshooting and resolving issues in SQL Server requires a deep understanding of the underlying concepts and features. It’s essential to continuously learn and stay updated with the latest developments in SQL Server to effectively manage and maintain your databases.

Stay tuned for more SQL Server tips and tricks in future blog posts!

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