Database is disappearing

Question

Database is disappearing

Bhaskar Kumar Chowdhury 0

Every time I create a table, it stays for a while (as long as 24 hrs), and I see it gets dropped. I get resource not available. Why am I losing the database?

Lakshmi Narayana Garikapati 920 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-02-18T07:35:45.6066667+00:00

Thanks for sharing the issue. To understand why your database or tables are disappearing, it would help to clarify a few details about your environment and setup. Could you please let us know:

Environment & Setup

• Are you working on local SQL Server, Azure SQL Database, or another cloud provider? • If cloud-based, are you using a serverless tier, sandbox/demo environment, or a provisioned instance?

• Do you have admin rights on the instance, or is it managed by someone else?

Database & Table Details

• Are you creating permanent tables in a user database, or temporary tables in tempdb (e.g., #MyTable or ##MyTable)?

• What’s the database name you’re creating tables in—does it look like a sandbox or test DB?

• Do you notice if the whole database disappears, or just the tables?

Lifecycle & Timing

• Does the drop happen exactly after 24 hours, or is the timing inconsistent?

• Do you see any restart events or maintenance jobs around the time the tables vanish? • Are there error logs or messages indicating resource cleanup or auto-drop?

Resource & Policy Constraints

• Are you on a trial/free tier that resets daily? • Is there a resource governor or policy that drops inactive databases?

• Do you share the environment with others who might be dropping the DB?

With these details, we’ll be able to pinpoint whether this is expected behavior (like tempdb resets or sandbox cleanup) or a configuration issue and then suggest the right fix.

Thanks,

Lakshmi.
Lakshmi Narayana Garikapati 920 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-02-24T08:50:41.8733333+00:00

Hi **Bhaskar Kumar Chowdhury,**Thanks for sharing the issue. To understand why your database or tables are disappearing, it would help to clarify a few details about your environment and setup. Could you please let us know:

Thanks,

Lakshmi.

1 answer

Your answer

Lakshmi Narayana Garikapati 920 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-02-18T07:35:45.6066667+00:00

Thanks for sharing the issue. To understand why your database or tables are disappearing, it would help to clarify a few details about your environment and setup. Could you please let us know:

Environment & Setup

• Are you working on local SQL Server, Azure SQL Database, or another cloud provider? • If cloud-based, are you using a serverless tier, sandbox/demo environment, or a provisioned instance?

• Do you have admin rights on the instance, or is it managed by someone else?

Database & Table Details

• Are you creating permanent tables in a user database, or temporary tables in tempdb (e.g., #MyTable or ##MyTable)?

• What’s the database name you’re creating tables in—does it look like a sandbox or test DB?

• Do you notice if the whole database disappears, or just the tables?

Lifecycle & Timing

• Does the drop happen exactly after 24 hours, or is the timing inconsistent?

• Do you see any restart events or maintenance jobs around the time the tables vanish? • Are there error logs or messages indicating resource cleanup or auto-drop?

Resource & Policy Constraints

• Are you on a trial/free tier that resets daily? • Is there a resource governor or policy that drops inactive databases?

• Do you share the environment with others who might be dropping the DB?

With these details, we’ll be able to pinpoint whether this is expected behavior (like tempdb resets or sandbox cleanup) or a configuration issue and then suggest the right fix.

Thanks,

Lakshmi.
Lakshmi Narayana Garikapati 920 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-02-24T08:50:41.8733333+00:00

Hi **Bhaskar Kumar Chowdhury,**Thanks for sharing the issue. To understand why your database or tables are disappearing, it would help to clarify a few details about your environment and setup. Could you please let us know:

Thanks,

Lakshmi.

Answer 1

If you are experiencing issues with a database disappearing or being dropped after a certain period, there are a few potential reasons to consider:

Resource Availability: If the database is hosted on a serverless tier, it may automatically pause or drop if it is not being used or if there are resource constraints. This can lead to temporary unavailability.
Permissions: Ensure that you have the appropriate permissions to create and maintain the database. If your permissions are insufficient, the database may not be retained properly.
Database Configuration: Check the configuration settings for the database, including retention policies and any automated maintenance tasks that might be set to drop databases after a certain period.
Service Health: Monitor the Azure service health dashboard to see if there are any ongoing issues with the SQL Database service that could affect your database's availability.

If these factors do not resolve the issue, consider reaching out to Azure support for further assistance.

References:

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Database is disappearing

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