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Error message when you click the Databases node in SQL Server Management Studio in SQL Server

This article describes an error message that typically occurs in SSMS when there is a problem retrieving information about one or more databases of a SQL Server instance.

Original product version:   SQL Server
Original KB number:   956179

Symptoms

You might receive an error message similar to the following one when using SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS):

Failed to retrieve data for this request (Microsoft.SqlServer.Management.sdk.sfc)

Troubleshooting

There can be multiple symptoms that can contribute to this problem. The following items may help you understand and troubleshoot the issue:

  • Symptom 1

    You might run into known issues in the following articles:

    Resolution

    To solve the known issues, see the resolutions documented in the corresponding articles listed earlier.

  • Symptom 2

    You can run into this issue if using an older version of SSMS and when one of the following conditions is true:

    • SQL Server Management Studio can't correctly read one or more databases. Therefore, certain properties of a database can't be retrieved.

    • One or more databases is in an offline mode and you're using an older version of SSMS to connect to that SQL instance hosting this offline database.

    In these situations, the collection of objects doesn't appear in the Object Explorer pane or the Object Explorer Details pane. Therefore, certain properties of the database aren't computed as a group in the collection of objects.

    Note

    This problem also occurs if you're not a member of the Sysadmins group.

    Resolution

    To work around this problem, follow these steps:

    1. Close the error message.

    2. Press F7 to open the Object Explorer Details pane.

    3. Right-click the column headers, and make sure that only the following columns are selected:

      • Name

      • Date Created

      • Policy Health

      • Owner

    4. Right-click the Databases node, and then select Refresh.

    Alternatively, you can download and install SSMS from Download SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS) and see if the issue goes away. If the issue still occurs with the new version of SSMS, see SQL Server help and feedback for additional ways to get assistance with your issue.