The alert details are not recorded and SQL Response reports "Alert is still being written" when viewing an alert or multiple alerts

Category: Troubleshooting & error messages
Date: 23 Oct 2009
Product: SQL Response
When viewing the Alert Details for any problem type, SQL Response will not display any actual alert details except for the following statement "Alert is still being written"

To resolve this problem, first check to see if there is any Anti-Virus software with an on-access scanner running on the Alert Repository machine.

Some Anti-Virus software may have what is can be called as an On-access scanner, which checks files as they are opened, being written too or being read from. If you do have AV software performing this type of checks, can you please exclude the SQL Response Alert Repository files from being scanned.

When an alert is generated, the SQL Response Alert Repository records information regarding the alert into a data store. The Anti-Virus software may obtain an exclusive lock preventing SQL Response from writing up the alert details.

The Alert Repository files are kept in the following directory on the machine running the Alert Repository:

Windows XP, Windows 2003 - C:\Documents and settings\All Users\Application Data\Red Gate\SQL Response 1

Windows Vista, Windows 2008 - C:\ProgramData\All Users\Application Data\Red Gate\ SQL Response 1

Turning off the Anti-Virus Software on access scanner will for all new alerts prevent this problem from occurring.

This problem can also occur within the configuration of SQL Response. When the SQL Response Alert Repository Service issues a SQL Query, it sets an execution time to run. If the query does not complete within a set time period, the query is stopped and if an alert is generated from the aborted query, the alert details will report ""Alert is still being written". This time out setting is located within the connection settings and is the Execution time-out value. By default, the Execution time-out value is 30 seconds.

To prevent the Execution Timeout setting from causing this problem, try modifying the Execution Timeout value to be 0 seconds, thus preventing the query from running into an execution time out as follows:

In the SQL Response Client, Right the computer in the Servers to show list and select Server Properties

In the Server Properties dialog for each sever and confirm that the Execution time-out Connection setting is set to 0 seconds. If it is not set to 0 seconds, can you please modify it so it becomes 0 seconds, click the OK button and then stop and restart the SQL Response Alert Repository.

Next monitor any new alerts and ensure that you are not getting the 'Alert is still being written to' in the alert details.

If the Execution Timeout value cannot be modified or the above process to modify the Execution Timeout value is unsuccessful, the only course of action is to delete the current Alert Repository, meaning that you will lose all the current data.

1. Deactivate the each server listed in the 'Servers to show' list.
2. Remove each server from the 'Servers to show' list.
3. Remove the current Alert Repository via the Alert Repository Menu ->Alert Repository Setup.
4. Create a new Alert Repository via the Alert Repository Menu ->Alert Repository Setup.
5. Re-register your SQL Server via the 'Add Server Wizard'. In the server properties dialog, set the 'execution time-out = 0'.
6. Activate the server.