Microsoft KB Archive/271945

= FIX: SQL Agent Appends Garbled Characters to Output File =

Article ID: 271945

Article Last Modified on 10/31/2003

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APPLIES TO


 * Microsoft SQL Server 2000 Standard Edition
 * Microsoft SQL Server 7.0 Standard Edition

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This article was previously published under Q271945



BUG #: 235489 (SHILOH_bugs)

BUG #: 58322 (SQLBUG_70)



SYMPTOMS
When you run a SQL Agent job that appends text to an existing output file from a different step type (for example, CmdExec to a previous job of a different type, such as, Transact-SQL), the CmdExec step adds garbled characters to the end of the output file.



CAUSE
This behavior is caused by a problem with the Unicode output of the SubSystems of SQL Agent.



RESOLUTION
To resolve this problem, obtain the latest service pack for SQL Server 2000. For additional information, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

290211 INF: How to Obtain the Latest SQL Server 2000 Service Pack



WORKAROUND
Specify separate output files in the job steps and optionally concatenate them together in an additional last step by using code similar to: copy file1 + file2



STATUS
Microsoft has confirmed that this is a problem in the Microsoft products that are listed at the beginning of this article. This problem was first corrected in SQL Server 2000 Service Pack 1.



MORE INFORMATION
This problem does not occur when you append output from the same job step types. This problem typically occurs when the operating system command (CmdExec) job is combined with other job types such as a Transact- SQL script, where each job type sends their output to the same file.

Additional query words: Distorted, mangled, jumbled, confused, muddled, corrupted, mess, mixed-up, strange, wrong, incorrect

Keywords: kbbug kbfix kbsqlserv2000sp1fix KB271945

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