Error: The backup of the file or filegroup "sysft_XXXX_FT" is not permitted because it

Hi There,

I am trying to do a full back up of a user database which has full text indexing on it. I use the maintenance plan wizard to set up a full backup. For some reason, I get this error.

=================

Executing the query "BACKUP DATABASE [XXXX] TO [XXXX]
WITH NOFORMAT, NOINIT, NAME = N'XXXX_backup_20060819040020', SKIP, REWIND, NOUNLOAD, STATS = 10
" failed with the following error:
"The backup of the file or filegroup "sysft_XXXX_FT" is not permitted because it is not online.
BACKUP can be performed by using the FILEGROUP or FILE clauses
to restrict the selection to include only online data.
BACKUP DATABASE is terminating abnormally.".
Possible failure reasons: Problems with the query,
"ResultSet" property not set correctly, parameters not set correctly, or connection not established correctly.

===============

Can anybody please suggest me what I should do?

Thanks.

Is the database accessable and online ? i.e. : not suspect ?|||I get the same error message. I have a total of 10 databases & two of them give me the same error message when I try to backup using the maintenance utility. The d/b are used by the SharePoint Portal. If anyone has found a solution, please send my way. thank you|||

The immediate cause of the error is obvious: The fulltext catalog is offline.

What needs some work is figuring out why the catalog went offline and wnat to do about it.

The simplest courses of action are to either drop the catalog if it's not needed, or to rebuild it if it is needed. As soon as the rebuid starts, you should be able to successfully back up the database. You don't need to wait for the rebuild to complete.

|||

This can also happen for...
64bit 2005 Standard Cluster w/ SP1 (my configuration)
I found out that it was improperly reporting the "offline" full-text index. By improperly, I mean, that the error was reporting our current "Good" index when it should have been reporting one that had a different name that was in fact "offline".

Our problem:
You should look to see if you have any "old" indices from restores. Ours happened during a backup and restore from a single 32bit box moving to 64bit cluster. Took forever to find out how to get rid of the old index...Go to SQL Server Management Studio > <machine/instance> > <databasename> > Storage > Full Text Catalogs

...and delete the offending full text catalog definitions there. Mine didn't really exist (defined on a "d:\" drive that isn't even present in the new clustered system). You CANNOT make ad hoc queries to the db sys tables anymore in 2005. This will allow you to remove "hanging" full-text index definitions from the sys tables...allowing the backup to successfully kick off.

...our site Used Textbooks

|||Our error was:
"The backup of the file or filegroup "sysft_Keywords" is not permitted because it is not online."[SQLSTATE 42000] (Error 3007) BACKUP DATABASE is terminating abnormally. [SQLSTATE 42000] (Error 3013). The step failed. Sql Severity 16; Sql Message ID 3013.
This database was restored/converted from SQL2000. We did initially use SQL Full Text to perform searches before developing our own contextual tool.
Solution: In SQL Studio,Delete the items under the Full Text Catalogs==> Storage. This is the same ask12math's solution.|||

I'm thinking that solution is only relevant to the fully featured SQL Management Studio... is there any way to do this either in Studio Management Express or interactively? I've been using SQL Express (advanced version) for about a month now; last night's backup went fine, then today I get the "not permitted" error cited above. And only in this one database... the 15 or so others continue to backup normally.

BTW: I too restored these databases from SQL 2000 backups, and this one database had one column of one table marked for Full Text indexing at the time of the restore. I really don't need it, but apparently I didn't install the full text feature, so I can't remove it because I get an error that says the feature is not installed.

Any manual way around this problem? Thanks in advance.

Gordon

|||Are you sure that Express supports Full Text? ...and no as of about 6 months ago there was no way to remove full text index definitions manually (per Microsoft). That may have changed but if it has I am not aware of it. Good luck. My suggestion is to reimport the backup from 2000 after removing the definition (in 2000). Which probably isn't an option now because there is probably new data right? Let us know if you find anything.|||

k12math: Yes, you are right about the reimport... no longer an option because of a month of use. BUT: I did find a solution after several hours, so I'll share it with you!

1) Put the database into single user mode.

2) Start to detach the database. But before clicking OK for the detach, UNCHECK the box that says "Keep..." (the rest of the line is not immediately visible... what it says is, Keep fulltext catalogs. Get rid of that). Now OK the detach.

3) Reattach the database, and the backup works. Just like that.

Good luck everyone!

Gordon

|||This worked well for me. Good job Gordonh.

Neil.