How It Works: The SQLAgent Log File

I am still working to resolve the customers problem but during my investigation I briefly looked a the SQLAgent logging format and thought you all might like some of these details.

From: Robert Dorr
Sent: Monday, May 24, 2010 9:47 AM
Subject: RE: SPID in SLEEP state indefinitely

The error itself is from SQLAgent while calculating the next scheduled execution time.

IDS_POSSIBLE_DATE_CALC_SPIN                      "Warning [%ld]: Possible date calculation spin for Schedule %ld"

We are trying to find the next date and time that the scheduler will run.   In this case it is schedule #15 on your system.   As I look at this is would nice if it would spell out the Job in question so I will file a DCR to add more details to the message as well.

We will spin in this code calculating the date if

                Scheduler to run again

                AND Next Run Date < current date

                OR NextRunDate equal current date AND run time < current time

So it would help to see the SQLAgent log entries to see the logged date and time compared to the current setup for execution schedule #15

Reference Information

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Common SQLAgent Log format

Date time – (+|?|!)  [Resource Id] <<Message Text>>

        INFORMATION            '?'

        WARNING                '+'

        ERROR                  '!'

I opened up the sqlagent.rll as a resource DLL and you can see the resource id and format string that matches the inquiry.

OR

Date time – (+|?|!) <<Message Text>>

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Sent: Saturday, May 22, 2010 11:42 AM
Subject: RE: SPID in SLEEP state indefinetely

I am seeing a warning message in the Sql agent’s logs “[191] Warning [2]: Possible date calculation spin for Schedule 15”, but it said to be fixed in SQL 2000 SP4 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/295378)

Any idea of it occurring on SQL 2008 SP1 and how to fix it? Is there any relation of this issue to forever waiting SPIDs?

Bob Dorr - Principal SQL Server Escalation Engineer