Microsoft Provides Fixes for SP3-Related Problems

Microsoft released several new articles that provide product fixes and information for SQL Server customers. Two of the fixes specifically address problems that DBAs might encounter when they install SQL Server 2000 Service Pack 3 (SP3).

- "FIX: Merge Publications Cannot Synchronize on SQL Server 2000 SP3" ( http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;814032 ) lists four problems that can crop up when you publish a database with a binary collation for merge replication on an earlier build of SQL Server and you upgrade to SQL Server 2000 SP3. The problems can also occur when you try to publish a database with binary collation for merge replication after you install SQL Server 2000 SP3.

- "FIX: Incorrect Cardinality Estimates for NOT EXISTS Predicates After You Upgrade to SQL Server 2000 Service Pack 3" ( http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;815593 ) explains that after you upgrade to SQL Server 2000 SP3, the query optimizer might overestimate the cost for queries that involve a predicate that uses a NOT EXISTS () construct. The high estimate results in poor query performance.

- "FIX: Query with Transaction Isolation Level Set to READ UNCOMMITTED Fails with Error 601"  ( http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;815008 ) says that when a query runs with its transaction isolation level set to READ UNCOMMITTED, SQL Server 2000 aborts the query and returns the error message "Server: Msg 601, Level 12, State 3, Line 14 Could not continue scan with NOLOCK due to data movement." This behavior can occur when a row in a table is deleted between the time SQL Server reads the location of the row from an index and the time SQL Server fetches the row.

- "FIX: A Query with an Aggregate Function May Fail with a 3628 Error" ( http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;812995 ) explains that when you run a query with an aggregate function, you might receive the error message "Msg 3628, Level 16, State 1 A floating point exception occurred in the user process. Current transaction is canceled."

As with most Microsoft fixes, you should implement the fixes that these articles describe only on systems that are experiencing the specified problem.