(Solved) SQL Server Error 5171: A Guided Method To Resolve This Error

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  • Updated on February 7th, 2018

We will tell about what’s the right way to repair or fix SQL Server Error 5171 in MS SQL Server Database and different alternatives to resolve SQL server error 5171.

It is a well known fact that SQL database is one of the most renowned server database used by many administrators to increase productivity, efficient and sociability. You can handle and manage huge amount of data with this SQL server database. However we also cannot ignore that it also comes with a lot of problems. In-fact many administrators, face frequent issues with this database ranging from database corruption and data inaccessibility which affects the performance, availability and data access on a great scale. Due to these issues a lot of errors pops up on your screen, and one of the most common error is:
“C:\Program Files\Microsoft SQL Server\MSSQL.1\MSSQL\Data\MYDATABASE.mdf is not a primary database file. (Microsoft SQL Server, Error: 5171)”
or
“An exception occurred while executing a Transact-SQL statement or batch. _db.mdf is not a primary database file. (Microsoft SQL Server, Error: 5171).”
Usually this error occurs when your system shutdowns unexpectedly when you are still working on SQL server database. After this you might face data inaccessibility or you will be unable to open your MDF files or the above error will be shown on your system.

Why SQL Server Error 5171 Occurs: Reasons

Some of the major reasons for this error are:

  • Power failure
  • Unexpected shutdown
  • Virus infection
  • Damages index
  • Human errors
  • Damaged media
  • Corruption in file header

All these factors or situations can damage your database and may lead to SQL server 5171 error. After the error, your data will become inaccessible and your entries will become invalid. However, you can restore the data from a backup. Unfortunately, I have seen users who don’t create a backup and that is when this error creates a mess. As without a backup it is very hard to restore the files.
So now the question is how to restore files after this 5171 error if you don’t have a backup.

Now we will discuss two corruption scenarios and how to resolve it.
Case 1: Database corruption in mirrored database
Suppose you have an MS SQL server 2016and using a mirrored database to set you online and use the following code: “ALTER DATABASE mydb SET online” and face 5171 error, in this case use the below mentioned procedure to resolve it:

  • Set the database porincipal
  • Use ‘ALTER DATABASE MODIFY FILE’ command and
  • modify the file information
  • Now stop the currently running sever
  • Restart the MS SQL server
  • Now attach the database files

Case 2: Detaching database

Suppose you are working on SQL server 2014 and want to upgrade it to 2016. For that, you first have to detach the database and after installation have to reattach it adding both primary and secondary files. However, in the whole process you may face this error:
“M:\folder\file_1.mdf is not a primary database file. (Microsoft SQL Server, Error: 5171)”

So now the biggest issue is how to resolve it?

To resolve this, you may use ‘sp_attach_db’ to attach your database
sp_attach_db @dbname = N’mydb’,
@filename1 =
N’C:\Program Files\Microsoft SQL Server\MSSQL13.MSSQLSERVER\MSSQL\Data\mydb_Data.mdf’,
@filename2 =
N’C:\Program Files\Microsoft SQL Server\MSSQL13.MSSQLSERVER\MSSQL\Data\ mydb_log.ldf’;

However you can also use its UI the attach the database.
Unfortunately, if the problem still persists then I would suggest you to go for a profession software.

One of the best software applications that I know is Aryson SQL Database Recovery Software.
It is one of the most advanced recovery tool which can resolve any error and corruption issue. It can also recover and restore your corrupt MDF and NDF files. In addition, the user interface is also very interactive making it easy for nontechnical users to use it and resolve issues without any hassle.

Limitations

One of the biggest limitation of this software is that it doesn’t support Linux and MAC OS. It only runs on Windows OS.
Note: They have a demo version which you can use. So would suggest you to download the free version first.
So hope now you know how to resolve SQL server error 5171.

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About The Author:

Rohan Wiese is a Technical Writer at Aryson Technologies. He is an expert Email Forensic, Cloud Computing, and a passionate nerd with over 10 years of experience in technical content writing. He writes about Cloud Migration, Database Recovery, Email Backup, Windows, Mac, and Tech.

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