PRB: Error 4928 Occurs When You Try to Rename a Non-Replicated Column (811899)

WORKAROUND

Important: Do not use the following workaround if the object is being used for replication. This problem is specific to cases where all replication has been removed from the database but there are objects that remain incorrectly flagged as involved in replication. Using the following procedure on a database that is still replicated is not supported and may break replication on the server.

Steps to Take Before You Work Around This Problem

1. Verify that the column is marked for replication. You can check the syscolumns
   table in your database to verify this. For example, run the following query against
   the database that contains the column that you want to rename. Replace column_name
   with the name of the column that you want to rename:
   

   SELECT  * 
   FROM  syscolumns 
   WHERE name = 'column_name'

   
   The column is marked for replication only when the colstat column value is
   greater than or equal to 4096.
2. Make sure to have a contingency plan, such as a database backup. Microsoft
   recommends that you make a full database backup of the database before you
   use the workaround. For more information about the BACKUP command,
   see the "BACKUP, Transact-SQL Reference" topic in SQL Server Books Online.

Steps to Work Around The Behavior

Notes

• The following procedure is dependent on SQL Server system tables. The structure
  of the system tables may vary in different SQL Server versions. Microsoft does not
  recommend that you select directly from the system tables.
• In most cases, Microsoft does not recommend that you change system tables
  directly. For example, do not try to modify system tables by using DELETE,
  UPDATE, or INSERT statements, or by using user-defined triggers.

After you make sure that the marked columns in the database are not used by replication,
follow these steps:

1. Run the following code to clear the replication indicators on the columns.
   

   sp_configure 'allow updates', 1
   go
   reconfigure with override
   go
   begin transaction
   UPDATE syscolumns 
   SET colstat = colstat & ~4096 
   WHERE colstat & 4096 <>0 
   go

2. Verify that rows were affected. If the intended rows in the syscolumns table were
   updated, commit the transaction, or roll back the transaction by using one of these commands:
   

   rollback transaction
   go
   

        -or-

   commit transaction
   go

3. Run the following code to set the server configuration back:
   

   sp_configure 'allow updates', 0
   go
   reconfigure with override
   go