Your development team may experience an exclusive access error while writing code or debugging a database. This error can be frustrating because it is often misunderstood and difficult to troubleshoot. The goal of this doc is to help you understand the “Unable to Obtain Exclusive Access to This Record” error and provide step-by-step instructions on how to resolve it.
What is the “Unable to Obtain Exclusive Access to This Record” Error?
The “Unable to Obtain Exclusive Access to This Record” error is a database error that occurs when multiple processes are attempting to write to the same record. This is most commonly seen when two different users want to edit the same record and the database denies access due to the rule that only one user can make changes to a particular record at any given time.
How to Resolve the “Unable to Obtain Exclusive Access to This Record” Error
Determine which process is attempting to access the record: To resolve the “Unable to Obtain Exclusive Access to This Record” error, you will need to figure out which process is attempting to access the record. This can be done by running the command DBCC TRACEON (1172, 1204). This will give you the ID of the process attempting to access the record.
Obtain exclusive access to the record: Once you have identified the process attempting to access the record, you can grant it exclusive access with the command SET TRANSACTION ISOLATION LEVEL SERIALIZABLE
Check the transaction log for any errors: After granting the process exclusive access, you should check the transaction log for any errors. The transaction log will tell you if there was an error when the process attempted to write to the record.
Release exclusive access: Once the transaction log has been checked and there are no further errors, you will need to release the exclusive access with the command SET TRANSACTION ISOLATION LEVEL READ COMMITTED
FAQ
Q1: What is the “Unable to Obtain Exclusive Access to This Record” error?
A1: The “Unable to Obtain Exclusive Access to This Record” error is a database error that occurs when multiple processes are attempting to write to the same record. This is most commonly seen when two different users want to edit the same record and the database denies access due to the rule that only one user can make changes to a particular record at any given time.
Q2: How do I check the transaction log?
A2: To check the transaction log, you need to run the command SELECT * FROM sys.fn_dblog(NULL, NULL). This will give you a list of all the transactions that have occurred. You should then look for any errors associated with the particular record.
Q3: What is the SET TRANSACTION ISOLATION LEVEL command?
A3: The SET TRANSACTION ISOLATION LEVEL command is used to control the degree to which changes made by one user are visible to other users. For example, setting the isolation level to serializable will allow one user to gain exclusive access to a record and no other user will be able to view the record until the user releases it.
Q4: What is the difference between READ COMMITTED and SERIALIZABLE isolation levels?
A4: The main difference between the READ COMMITTED and SERIALIZABLE isolation levels is that READ COMMITTED will allow multiple users to read the same record at the same time, while SERIALIZABLE will allow only one user to read the record at a time. The SERIALIZABLE isolation level is more secure, as it ensures that only one user can write to the record, but it can lead to performance issues if multiple users are trying to read the same record.
Q5: What other approaches can be used to resolve this error?
A5: Another approach to resolving this error is to implement a concurrency control strategy. This can be done in the form of locks or timeouts, where any process attempting to access the record must wait a certain amount of time before it is allowed to access the record. This can help to protect against simultaneous writes to the same record and reduce the chances of the “Unable to Obtain Exclusive Access to This Record” error occurring.