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Logical File Conflicts Cause Build Failures For Some Installations

Owned by Itzel Torres
Oct 21, 2019
1 min read

Some installers have experienced build failures during database restoration with errors similar to the following:

The file 'ods_v31_0601.mdf' cannot be overwritten.  It is being used by database 'EdFi_Glendale'.
File 'ods_v31_0601' cannot be restored to '\ods_v31_0601.mdf'. Use WITH MOVE to identify a valid location for the file.
The file 'ods_31_0601_log.ldf' cannot be overwritten.  It is being used by database 'EdFi_Glendale'.
File 'ods_v31_0601_log' cannot be restored to '\ods_v31_0601_log.ldf'. Use WITH MOVE to identify a valid location for the file.
Problems were identified while planning for the RESTORE statement. Previous messages provide details.
RESTORE DATABASE is terminating abnormally.

Steps to Reproduce Error Condition

  1. Execute the rebuild task to create a v3.12 Glendale ODS
  2. Rename the "EdFi" database without making any other changes
  3. Execute the rebuild task once again

Symptom

The build will fail with the following exception, which is generic and unrelated to the original cause:

System.Data.SqlClient.SqlException (0x80131904): The specified schema name "edfi" either does not exist or you do not have permission to use it.
...
Exception: Method invocation failed because [System.Management.Automation.PathInfo] does not contain a method named 'op_Addition'.

Upon checking farther back in the build log, the root cause will appear in logs as follows:

The file {MDF HERE} cannot be overwritten. It is being used by database {Name of existing database copy}.

These build problems are caused by a logical file conflict with an existing database. Typical causes of this problem include:

  • Renaming the database
  • Importing a backup, or 
  • Running the sample data build.

Current Workaround  

When installers encounter this error, the logical files in the old database must be renamed (or the old database removed).

To prevent this problem from occurring, look into generating a unique name for the logical files during the build process.


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