Mahedee Hasan

Mahedee Hasan

I am a Microsoft MVP (9th times), programmer, software developer, software architect, consultant, author, researcher, technical blogger, technical speaker, trainer and learner. I have more than 15 years experience in the field of software design and development.

Fix SQL Error 924 Without Any Data Loss – Most Accurate Way

3 minute read

SQL Server is Microsoft’s relational database management system(RDBMS). It is used to primarily stores and retrieves data requested by other application. It is a programming language developed to handle data in a relational database management system. It is known that a database server is a computer program which provides database services to other programs and defined as a client-server model. Hence, the SQL Server is a database server that is used to implement the Structured Query Language (SQL). Due to its platform independence, it can be functioned on both GUI and command based software.

Similar to other applications, SQL Server also prompts different types of error. It is mostly encountered by an individual user or a system administrator. One such error is “SQL error 924” or “Msg 924 Database is already open and can only have one user at a time”. This blog mentions the reasons for SQL error code 924 and its possible solutions.

User Queries
Let us take a glance for the various error messages which appear in an SQL Server. These queries have been taken from various tech-forums which are relevant to SQL error code 924. Some of them are mentioned below:

“During the execution course to restore project command in SQL Server Management Studio. I encountered an error “Exclusive access could not be obtained because the database is in use”.Then, I went to the database properties and switched to Single User mode. After which, I am unable to switch it back to multi-user mode. I get the error message “Msg 924 Database is already open and can only have one user at a time.” Would I be able to solve this error, please help!”

“When I tried to open the SQL database “AdventureWorks” in a single user mode, an error message was displayed stating, Database ‘AdventureWorks’ is already open and can only have one user at a time. It is a Microsoft SQL Server, Error: 924. Is there any troubleshooting steps to resolve this issue?”

SQL Error Code 924 – Find Out The Root Cause
Microsoft SQL error 924 generally occurs whenever an attempt is been made to access the database by another user which is set as a single-user mode. Hence, only one user can access the database at a time when it is set to single-user mode.

Manual Techniques To Solve SQL Error 924

  • Restore the Database from Backup
    A user can restore the database by using a backup. To practice this method, make sure there is an updated backup for the same. If there is no current database, try using another method.

  • Check SQL Server Services
    There could be settings failure in the Server Services that might result this issue. Hence, it is advised to restart the SQL Server service, which may solve the problem. If the problem still exists, try to use SQL Server Configuration Manager.

  • DBCC CHECKDB Repair Options
    One can repair the database using the following options, where “abc” is the database name,

DBCC CHECKDB(‘abc‘,REPAIR_REBUILD)

If it does not work, try using this,

DBCC CHECKDB(‘abc‘,REPAIR_ALLOW_DATA_LOSS)

  • Verify the Database Accessed is in Single-User Mode

    • Firstly, check the status of the database by executing the command below:
sp_helpdb  
go

Note: If the database is in single mode, it is shown as “single user” in the status column

  • Now, execute sp_who to find out who is accessing the database. From there, check the database name under dbname column and the login name from the loginame column
  • Either contact the system administrator “sa” or the individual to arrange the database access. The “sa” or database owner “dbo” can set the database to give multi-user access. Make sure the database is not in use which is followed as,
sp_dboption , single, false 
go
 use  
go
checkpoint
go

Repair SQL Error 924- An Automated Approach
SQL Error 924 is one of the common error faced by a majority of system administrators and individuals. With the manual approach, one can fix this issue but there are less chances that it repair the error completely. Hence, it is recommended to use SQL Repair tool. It is the most preferred software to fix different types of SQL errors, including SQL error 924. It offers two scanning modes to scan more effectively i.e., Quick scan and advanced scan. With its easy-to-use interface, no technical knowledge is required to use this software.

Conclusion
While working with SQL server, an error can occur anytime. One such error is SQL error 924 which can be fixed by using the above manual technique. However, it is observed that the manual approach mostly fails. This can be resolved using third party utility which enables to repair SQL errors and even support to the latest SQL server 2016 version.

Author: Andrew Jackson

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