INF: "DBCC TRACEON (208)" Messages in the Error Log When Using MSQuery

When running Microsoft Query (MSQuery), you may receive the following message in the SQL Server error log or Windows NT Event Viewer Application Log when you attempt to create a new query or open an existing query: NOTE: The server process ID (spid) value will vary.

DBCC TRACEON (208) simply means SET QUOTED IDENTIFIER ON. Therefore, these messages do not cause any harm and can safely be ignored. The SQL Server ODBC driver puts the DBCC TRACEON (208) message into the connection string whenever it determines that MSQuery is connecting to SQL Server. This only occurs in a connection between Microsoft Query and SQL Server; for example, if you were to use Microsoft Access instead of Microsoft Query, you would not see these messages in the error log.

If you want to prevent these messages from appearing in the error log, you can use trace flag 2505 as a startup parameter.

To add trace flag 2505 as a SQL Server startup parameter, use these steps:

1. In Enterprise Manager, right-click the server name, and then click Properties.
2. On the General tab, click Startup Parameters.
3. Add the following as a new parameter:
   
   -T2505
4. Restart the server for the new parameter to take effect.