How to fix Error 2369 on Windows Server 2025 / Windows 11

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Troubleshooting Guide: SQL Server Error 2369

Why This Error Happens

Error 2369 occurs when SQL Server parses an XML Schema Collection (XSD) that contains a complexType definition with more than one structural model group—such as sequence, choice, all, or group—nested directly within a single restriction or extension element. The XML Schema specification strictly permits only one such compositor per restriction/extension block, so when SQL Server’s schema validation engine encounters a malformed or hand-edited XSD with duplicate compositors, it rejects the registration and throws this error. This typically happens after a schema collection is altered manually, imported from an external system, or generated by a third-party tool that does not strictly adhere to W3C XSD structural rules.

Step-by-Step Resolution Guide

Step 1: Identify the Offending XML Schema Collection

  • Run the following query to locate the schema collection referenced in the error’s location path (%ls):
  • SELECT name, schema_namespace FROM sys.xml_schema_collections WHERE name = 'YourSchemaCollectionName';
  • Extract the full XSD definition using SELECT xml_schema_namespace(N'SchemaName', N'CollectionName'); to inspect its raw structure.

Step 2: Locate and Correct the Duplicate Compositor

  • Open the extracted XSD in a text editor or Visual Studio XML editor on your Windows Server 2025 / Windows 11 machine.
  • Search for <xs:restriction> or <xs:extension> blocks containing more than one of: <xs:sequence>, <xs:choice>, <xs:all>, or <xs:group>.
  • Consolidate the content into a single compositor (commonly <xs:sequence>) by merging child elements from the duplicate groups into one valid group.
  • Save the corrected file as a .xsd file, for example: C:\SQLSchemas\CorrectedSchema.xsd.

Step 3: Drop and Re-Register the Schema Collection

  • Drop the broken collection (only if no dependent tables/columns reference it): DROP XML SCHEMA COLLECTION YourSchemaCollectionName;
  • Re-create it using the corrected XSD file:
  • CREATE XML SCHEMA COLLECTION YourSchemaCollectionName AS 'contents_of_corrected_xsd_file';
  • If dependencies exist, use ALTER XML SCHEMA COLLECTION YourSchemaCollectionName ADD 'corrected_fragment'; instead to patch incrementally.

Step 4: Validate Application/ETL Source Files

  • If the schema originates from an external application (e.g., BizTalk, a .NET XSD generator, or a third-party ETL tool), check the generator’s export settings under its configuration directory, typically found in C:\Program Files\<VendorApp>\Config\.
  • Update or patch the generator so future exports do not produce duplicate compositors.

Alternative or Verification Steps

  • Verify the fix by re-running the original CREATE XML SCHEMA COLLECTION or ALTER statement that previously failed — it should complete without raising Error 2369.
  • As an alternative, validate the XSD offline using the xsd.exe utility (included with Visual Studio Build Tools) or an online XSD validator before importing it into SQL Server, catching compositor violations prior to deployment.