asp.net webforms app trying to connect to database that isn't being referenced anywhere in code?

Question

I had a few old database on my server, so took the older, unused ones offline.

This has caused a very strange problem, in that my site is complaining about not being able to connect to one of these databases.

I have searched the entire code-base for the database name, as well as all the config files on the server, and none of them reference this database name, yet if I take if offline, I get an error?

I can't see from the error what is actually making the request to connect, apart from it looks like its related to the SQL Session Server.

[SqlException (0x80131904): Database 'MyOldDatabaseName' cannot be opened because it is offline.]
System.Data.SqlClient.SqlConnection.OnError(SqlException exception, Boolean breakConnection) +1953274
System.Data.SqlClient.SqlInternalConnection.OnError(SqlException exception, Boolean breakConnection) +4849707
System.Data.SqlClient.TdsParser.ThrowExceptionAndWarning(TdsParserStateObject stateObj) +194 System.Data.SqlClient.TdsParser.Run(RunBehavior runBehavior, SqlCommand cmdHandler, SqlDataReader dataStream, BulkCopySimpleResultSet bulkCopyHandler, TdsParserStateObject stateObj) +2392
System.Data.SqlClient.SqlDataReader.ConsumeMetaData() +33
System.Data.SqlClient.SqlDataReader.get_MetaData() +96
System.Data.SqlClient.SqlCommand.FinishExecuteReader(SqlDataReader ds, RunBehavior runBehavior, String resetOptionsString) +297
System.Data.SqlClient.SqlCommand.RunExecuteReaderTds(CommandBehavior cmdBehavior, RunBehavior runBehavior, Boolean returnStream, Boolean async) +954
System.Data.SqlClient.SqlCommand.RunExecuteReader(CommandBehavior cmdBehavior, RunBehavior runBehavior, Boolean returnStream, String method, DbAsyncResult result) +162
System.Data.SqlClient.SqlCommand.RunExecuteReader(CommandBehavior cmdBehavior, RunBehavior runBehavior, Boolean returnStream, String method) +32
System.Data.SqlClient.SqlCommand.ExecuteReader(CommandBehavior behavior, String method) +141
System.Data.SqlClient.SqlCommand.ExecuteReader() +89
System.Web.SessionState.SqlSessionStateStore.DoGet(HttpContext context, String id, Boolean getExclusive, Boolean& locked, TimeSpan& lockAge, Object& lockId, SessionStateActions& actionFlags) +516

[HttpException (0x80004005): Unable to connect to SQL Server session database.]
System.Web.SessionState.SqlSessionStateStore.ThrowSqlConnectionException(SqlConnection conn, Exception e) +229
System.Web.SessionState.SqlSessionStateStore.DoGet(HttpContext context, String id, Boolean getExclusive, Boolean& locked, TimeSpan& lockAge, Object& lockId, SessionStateActions& actionFlags) +649
System.Web.SessionState.SqlSessionStateStore.GetItemExclusive(HttpContext context, String id, Boolean& locked, TimeSpan& lockAge, Object& lockId, SessionStateActions& actionFlags) +48
System.Web.SessionState.SessionStateModule.GetSessionStateItem() +117 System.Web.SessionState.SessionStateModule.BeginAcquireState(Object source, EventArgs e, AsyncCallback cb, Object extraData) +487
System.Web.AsyncEventExecutionStep.System.Web.HttpApplication.IExecutionStep.Execute() +66 System.Web.HttpApplication.ExecuteStep(IExecutionStep step, Boolean& completedSynchronously) +155

Answer 1

Set your database online with the MSSQL query below:

ALTER DATABASE <database-name> SET ONLINE

In addition, the MSSQL query below set your database offline:

ALTER DATABASE <database-name> SET OFFLINE

Answer 2

HttpException (0x80004005): Unable to connect to SQL Server session database indicates that you are/were using SQL Server to store session state. Look in your web.config for the sessionState element under configuration -> system.web. If the mode attribute is set to SQLServer, then there will be a sqlConnectionString attribute with the connection string. You can change the mode from SQLServer to InProc to move to an in memory solution and away from SQL Server. For load balanced environments you'll have to stick with SQL Server or the in-memory State Server.

Answer 3

did you Clean your solution? Try cleaning it and then rebuild it. Also , you need to check what happens when you bring that database back online.Check in your IIS for any Connection String that may be refering to this site.

Answer 4

You know it's a web application. You can go to IIS, stop all web sites, take the database offline and see if the error appears. If you can't reproduce it, some web site is connecting to the database and you aren't checking its source code. You can then start the sites one by one until it breaks.

Hope it helps!