Error configuring distribution- "Publishing and distribution are supported only in SQL Server version 7.0 or later"

 

I recently installed an instance of SQL Server 2016 on one of my server. Later when I tried to configure the new instance as Distributor I faced the below error:

Error:

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TITLE: Configure Distribution Wizard
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'Prod\SQL16' cannot be configured for publishing and distribution. Publishing and distribution are supported only in SQL Server version 7.0 or later.
For help, click: https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink?ProdName=Microsoft%20SQL%20Server&ProdVer=12.0.2000.8&EvtSrc=Microsoft.SqlServer.Management.UI.ConfigureWizardErrorSR&EvtID=ServerTooOld&LinkId=20476
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BUTTONS:
OK
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Observations:

• From the Object Explorer I can clearly see that I’m connected to the latest version of SQL[SQL 2016] but still I’m getting the above error.

 

• Verified that I’m not connected to Web/SQL Express edition which supports Subscriber only. More info at Features Supported by the Editions of SQL Server 2016

 

 

• Tried to configure Distributor using the TSQL script and it successfully executed. After this when I tried to create a new publication I again got the same error. So the issue seems to be only with the GUI.

 

• I then verified the version of SQL Server management studio which I was using and noticed that it was an older version- SQL 2014 SSMS.

 

 

Solution:

• I then launched SSMS for SQL Server 2016 and I was able to configure the instance as distributor. As mentioned before we can also use the TSQL commands to configure.

 

 

• I faced this issue as I had multiple version of SQL server management studio on the same server

Related Articles:

· Configure Distribution https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms151860.aspx

· How to: Configure Publishing and Distribution (Replication Transact-SQL Programming) https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms147363(v=sql.105).aspx

· How to: Configure Publishing and Distribution (SQL Server Management Studio) https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms151192(v=sql.105).aspx

· sp_adddistributor (Transact-SQL) https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms176028(v=sql.105).aspx

· sp_adddistributiondb (Transact-SQL) https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms189755(v=sql.105).aspx

 

Author:

Raghavendra Srinivasan , Support Engineer, Microsoft India GTSC

Reviewed by:

Balmukund Lakhani, Support Escalation Engineer, Microsoft India GTSC

Comments

• Anonymous
  September 17, 2015
  Thanks for you explanation. I got same issue. Now it's got resolved.