FIX: Error 701/Server Unresponsive on Cursor Queries w/UPDATE

• Microsoft SQL Server versions 6.0, 6.5

BUG #: 15553 (Windows NT: 6.0)
       15624 (6.5) 

SYMPTOMS

When you run cursor queries that do an UPDATE using the WHERE CURRENT OF <cursor> clause, the server runs out of memory, even though the cursors are closed properly. This leads to the following error message (701):

There is insufficient system memory to run this query.

CAUSE

Cursor operations that do an UPDATE using the WHERE CURRENT OF <cursor> cause a memory leak. One page of memory allocated on each call is not reclaimed until the connection is dropped.

WORKAROUND

To work around this problem, do either of the following:

• Avoid using the UPDATE WHERE CURRENT OF <cursor> clause. Instead, you can use "positioned" updates (calling sp_cursor or using SQLSetPos in ODBC).
  
  -or-



• Identify and close the connection that caused the error 701 message. Normally, the client connection that caused this problem runs into the error 701, and can be identified easily. When this connection is closed, everything returns to normal.

STATUS

Microsoft has confirmed this to be a problem in Microsoft SQL Server versions 6.0 and 6.5. This problem has been corrected in U.S. Service Pack 2 for Microsoft SQL Server version 6.5. For more information, contact your primary support provider.

MORE INFORMATION

The server eventually comes to a very slow, unusable state from which it must be recycled.

The following is additional information for SQL Server version 6.5:

If SQLTrace is running, no new connections to the server are possible.

The error 701 sometimes leads to a handled access violation (AV).

Additional query words: cursors memory leak av

Keywords          : kbprg SSrvProg kbbug6.50 kbbug6.00 kbfix6.50.sp2 
Version           : 6.0 6.5
Platform          : WINDOWS 
Issue type        : 

Last Reviewed: April 4, 1999