Troubleshooting Server and Database Connection Problems

Use this topic to troubleshoot problems that you experience when connecting to a report server. This topic also provides information about "Unexpected error" messages. For more information about data source configuration and configuring report server connection information, see Specifying Credential and Connection Information and Configuring a Report Server Database Connection.

Cannot create a connection to data source 'datasourcename'. (rsErrorOpeningConnection)

This is a generic error that occurs when the report server cannot open a connection to an external data source that provides data to a report. This error appears with a second error message that indicates the underlying cause. The following additional errors can appear with rsErrorOpeningConnection.

Login failed for user 'UserName'

The user does not have permission to access the data source. If you are using a SQL Server database, verify that the user has a valid database user login. For more information about how to create a database user or a SQL Server login, see How to: Create a Database User and How to: Create a SQL Server Login.

Login failed for user 'NT AUTHORITY\ANONYMOUS LOGON'

This error occurs when credentials are passed across multiple computer connections. If you are using Windows Authentication, and the Kerberos version 5 protocol is not enabled, this error occurs when credentials are passed across more than one computer connection. To work around this error, consider using stored credentials or prompted credentials. For more information about how to work around this issue, see Specifying Credential and Connection Information.

An error has occurred while establishing a connection to the server. When connecting to SQL Server 2005, this failure may be caused by the fact that under the default settings SQL Server does not allow remote connections. (provider: Named Pipes Provider, error: 40 - Could not open a connection to SQL Server)

This error is returned by the instance of the Database Engine that hosts the report server database. In most cases, this error occurs because the SQL Server service is stopped. Or, if you are using SQL Server Express Edition with Advanced Services or a named instance, this error will occur if the report server URL or connection string for the report server database is not correct. To work through these issues, do the following:

• Verify the SQL Server (MSSQLSERVER) is started. On the computer that hosts the instance of the Database Engine, click Start, click Administrative Tools, click Services, and scroll to SQL Server (MSSQLSERVER). If it is not started, right-click the service, select Properties, in Startup Type select Automatic, click Apply, click Start, and then click OK.
• Verify the report server URL and report server database connection string is correct. If Reporting Services or the Database Engine was installed as a named instance, the default connection string that is created during Setup will include the instance name. For example, if you installed a default instance of SQL Server Express Edition with Advanced Services on a server named DEVSRV01, the Report Manager URL is DEVSRV01\Reports$SQLEXPRESS. Furthermore, the database server name in the connection string will be similar to DEVSRV01\SQLEXPRESS. For more information about URLs and data source connection strings for SQL Server Express, see Reporting Services in SQL Server 2005 Express Edition with Advanced Services. To verify the connection string for the report server database, start the Reporting Services Configuration tool and view the Database Setup page.

A connection cannot be made. Ensure that the server is running.

This error is returned by ADOMD.NET provider. There are several reasons why this error can occur. If you specified the server as localhost, try specifying the server name instead. This error can also occur if memory cannot be allocated to the new connection. For more information, see Knowledge Base Article 912017.

If the error also includes "No such host is known", it indicates that the Analysis Services server is not available or is refusing the connection. If the Analysis Services server is installed as a named instance on a remote computer, you might need to run the SQL Server Browser service to get the port number used by that instance.

(Report Services SOAP Proxy Source)

If you get this error during report model generation, and the additional information section includes "SQL Server does not exist or access denied", you might be encountering the following conditions:

• The connection string for the data source includes localhost.
• TCP/IP is disabled for the SQL Server service.

To resolve this error, you can either modify the connection string to use the server name or you can enable TCP/IP for the service. Follow these steps to enable TCP/IP:

1. Start SQL Server Configuration Manager.
2. Expand SQL Server 2005 Network Configuration.
3. Select Protocols for MSSQLSERVER.
4. Right-click TCP/IP, and select Enable.
5. Select SQL Server 2005 Services.
6. Right-click SQL Server (MSSQLSERVER), and select Restart.

Report Server Errors on Windows Vista

Reporting Services SP1 and earlier do not run on Windows Vista. If you try to run an SP1 report server on Windows Vista, you will encounter the following errors:

The above errors will no longer occur after you apply SP2 and configure the report server for operation.

WMI error when connecting to a report server in Management Studio

By default, Management Studio uses the Reporting Services Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI) provider to establish a connection to the report server. If the WMI provider is not installed correctly, you will get the following error when attempting to connect to the report server:

Cannot connect to <your server name>. The Report Services WMI provider is not installed or is misconfigured (Microsoft.SqlServer.Management.UI.RSClient).

If you are using Windows Vista, verify that you have applied SQL Server 2005 Service Pack 2 (SP2).

For all other cases, as a temporary work-around, you can connect to the report server through the SOAP endpoint:

• In the Connect to Server dialog box in Management Studio, in Server Name, type the report server URL. By default, it is http://<your server name>/reportserver or, if you are using SQL Server 2005 Express Edition with Advanced Services, http://<your server name>/reportserver$sqlexpress.

To resolve the error so that you can connect using the WMI provider, you should run Setup to repair Reporting Services, or reinstall Reporting Services.

Connection error, where login failed for &lt;servername&gt;\ASPNET

You can get an rsConnectionError error that shows a failed login for ASP.NET when the report server hosting the report runs under a domain user account on a computer running Windows 2000 Server and you configure a data source to use prompted or stored Windows credentials. When you install Reporting Services on a computer running Windows 2000 Server, we recommend that you use the built-in account (NT AUTHORITY/SYSTEM). If you use a domain user account (even one that has local administrator privileges), it will limit your choices on how to configure a data source connection for a report. Specifically, you cannot use prompted or stored Windows credentials to connect to external data sources.

Connection error, where login failed due to unknown user name or bad password

An rsReportServerDatabaseLogonFailed error can occur if you are using a domain account for the connection from the report server to the report server database connection, and the password for the domain account has been changed.

The full error text is: "The report server cannot open a connection to the report server database. The logon failed (rsReportServerDatabaseLogonFailed). Logon failure: unknown user name or bad password."

If you reset the password, you must update the connection. For more information, see Configuring a Report Server Database Connection.

The report server cannot open a connection to the report server database. A connection to the database is required for all requests and processing. (rsReportServerDatabaseUnavailable).

This error occurs when the report server cannot connect to the SQL Server relational database that provides internal storage to the server. The connection to the report server database is managed through the Reporting Services Configuration tool. You can run the tool, go to the Database Setup page, and correct the connection information. Using the tool to update connection information is a best practice; the tool ensures that dependent settings are updated and that services are restarted. For more information, see Configuring a Report Server Database Connection and Configuring Service Accounts and Passwords in Reporting Services.

This error can also occur if the Database Engine instance that hosts the report server database is not configured for remote connections. Remote connection is enabled by default in some releases of SQL Server 2005. To verify whether it is enabled on the SQL Server Database Engine instance you are using, run the SQL Server Surface Area Configuration tool. You must enable remote connections for both TCP/IP and named pipes. A report server uses both protocols. For instructions on how to enable remote connections, see the section "How to Configure Remote Connections to the Report Server Database" in Configuring a Report Server for Remote Administration.

If the error includes the following additional text, the password expired on the account used to run the Database Engine instance: "An error has occurred while establishing a connection to the server. When connecting to SQL Server 2005, this failure may be caused by the fact that under the default settings SQL Server does not permit remote connections. (provider: SQL Server Network Interfaces, error: 26 - Error Locating Server/Instance Specified)." To resolve this error, reset the password. For more information, see Changing Passwords and User Accounts.

"RPC Server is not listening"

The Report Server Windows service uses Remote Procedure Call (RPC) server for some operations. If you get the "RPC Server is not listening" error, verify that the Report Server Windows service is running.

Unexpected error (General network error)

This error indicates a data source connection error. You should check the connection string, and verify that you have permission to access the data source. If you are using Windows Authentication to access a data source, you must have permission to access the computer that hosts the data source.

See Also

Concepts

Reporting Services Log Files

Other Resources

Troubleshooting Reporting Services
Reporting Services Errors and Events

Help and Information

Getting SQL Server 2005 Assistance

Change History