FIX: Force Index Option Fails with Temporary Tables in Stored Procedures

If the "force index" Optimizer hint is used on a query against a temporary table, the query may fail with the following error: This error message occurs if both of the following conditions are true:

• The query is within a stored procedure.
  
  -and-
• The temporary table was created outside that stored procedure.

Note that the stored procedure will work if it is run under the same connection it was created on. Also, if it is run successfully under the same connection it was created on, then it will always work for all connections after that.

The stored procedure runs correctly if you EXEC it in the same batch in which the stored procedure is created. However, if you execute the stored procedure from another session, it must be recompiled (as when the server restarts).

A more permanent workaround is to submit the SELECT statement within the stored procedure by using the SQL Server 6.0 EXEC feature, rather than a straight SELECT.

Microsoft has confirmed this to be a problem in SQL Server 6.5. This problem has been corrected in Service Pack 5a for Microsoft SQL Server 6.5.For more information, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:For more information, contact your primary support provider.