How to fix Error 2225 on Windows Server 2025 / Windows 11

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Troubleshooting Guide: SQL Server Error 2225 — “A string literal was expected”

Why This Error Happens

This error occurs when SQL Server’s T-SQL parser encounters a malformed string in a script, stored procedure, or dynamic SQL statement, typically due to unmatched or improperly escaped quotation marks. It is frequently triggered by dynamic SQL generation where single quotes inside a string are not properly doubled, or where a script was copied from an external source and contains smart quotes (curly quotes) instead of straight ASCII quotes. In rare cases, this can also surface from a corrupted or truncated script file being executed via sqlcmd or SQL Server Agent jobs on Windows Server 2025.

Step-by-Step Resolution Guide

Step 1: Identify the Offending Script or Query

  • Locate the exact batch that threw Error 2225 by checking SQL Server Agent job history or the application log that submitted the query.
  • Open the script in SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS) and enable line numbers (Tools > Options > Text Editor > Transact-SQL > General).
  • Run the batch in isolation to pinpoint the exact line referenced in the error message.

Step 2: Fix Quote Escaping in Dynamic SQL

  • Search for any EXEC(@sql) or sp_executesql calls and verify every embedded single quote is doubled (e.g., 'It''s a test' instead of 'It's a test').
  • Replace any curly/smart quotes (’ or ‘) with straight single quotes (‘) — these are often introduced when copying code from Word documents or PDFs.
  • Use QUOTENAME() or REPLACE(@value, '''', '''''') for user-supplied input being concatenated into dynamic SQL strings.

Step 3: Validate File Encoding and Source

  • If the script originates from a .sql file, re-save it using UTF-8 or ANSI encoding without BOM corruption via a plain text editor (e.g., Notepad++ or VS Code).
  • On Windows Server 2025, confirm the file wasn’t altered by an automated deployment tool that may have injected non-standard characters during transfer.
  • Re-run the script through sqlcmd -i scriptname.sql to confirm the parser no longer throws Error 2225.

Step 4: Review Application-Generated Queries

  • If the error originates from an application (e.g., via ODBC or OLE DB driver) rather than a manual script, enable SQL Server Profiler or Extended Events to capture the exact generated T-SQL statement.
  • Check the application’s string-building logic for missing quote-escaping functions before the query reaches SQL Server 2025.

Alternative or Verification Steps

  • After applying fixes, re-execute the corrected script in SSMS and confirm no red squiggly underlines or parser errors appear before running.
  • As a quick alternative, wrap suspect string values in QUOTENAME(@value, '''') to auto-handle escaping, then test the batch again in a non-production environment to confirm Error 2225 no longer appears.