Azure data studio table designer error execution time out

Question

An error occurred while generating preview report: One or more errors occurred. (Execution Timeout Expired. The timeout period elapsed prior to completion of the operation or the server is not responding.)

at System.Threading.Tasks.Task.ThrowIfExceptional(Boolean includeTaskCanceledExceptions)

at System.Threading.Tasks.Task.Wait(Int32 millisecondsTimeout, CancellationToken cancellationToken)

at System.Threading.Tasks.Task.Wait()

at Microsoft.Data.Tools.Sql.DesignServices.TableDesigner.TableDesigner.get_TableRowCount()

at Microsoft.Data.Tools.Sql.DesignServices.TableDesigner.TableDesigner.get_IsLargeTable()

at Microsoft.Data.Tools.Sql.DesignServices.CommitJob.CreatePreviewReport()

at Microsoft.Data.Tools.Sql.DesignServices.TableDesigner.TableDesigner.GenerateReport()

at Microsoft.SqlTools.SqlCore.TableDesigner.TableDesignerManager.GeneratePreviewReport(TableInfo tableInfo) in /_/src/Microsoft.SqlTools.SqlCore/TableDesigner/TableDesignerManager.cs:line 125

at Microsoft.SqlTools.ServiceLayer.TableDesigner.TableDesignerService.<>c__DisplayClass21_0.<<HandleGeneratePreviewReportRequest>b__0>d.MoveNext() in /_/src/Microsoft.SqlTools.ServiceLayer/TableDesigner/TableDesignerService.cs:line 127

--- End of stack trace from previous location ---

at Microsoft.SqlTools.ServiceLayer.TableDesigner.TableDesignerService.<>c__DisplayClass16_0`1.<<HandleRequest>b__0>d.MoveNext() in /_/src/Microsoft.SqlTools.ServiceLayer/TableDesigner/TableDesignerService.cs:line 81

Answer 1

That's a size-of-data operation, and those can take quite some time if the table is large. In a way, it is sort of silly to have a query timeout for operations that can take long time. Then again, you could also say that it is a wake-up call that maybe this is something you should not run from a UI.

You can think of things like the Table Designer as a tri-cycle. It may help to get you started, but as you grow up, you move over to a proper two-wheeled bicycle. That is, you learn to use DDL (Data Definition Language.) In this case, it is simple:

ALTER TABLE tbl ALTER COLUMN col nvarchar(50) [NOT] NULL

I've put NOT in brackets, since I don't know the current nullability for the column. But you need to repeat it, or else it may change.