How to fix Error 2386 on Windows Server 2025 / Windows 11

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Troubleshooting Guide: SQL Server Error 2386 – Facet Value Outside Allowed Range

Why This Error Happens

Error 2386 occurs when a Policy-Based Management (PBM) policy evaluates a property (facet) against a condition whose value falls outside the permissible range defined by SQL Server’s internal metadata or the SMO (SQL Management Objects) facet definition. This is typically caused by a misconfigured policy condition, a manually edited policy XML with an invalid numeric value, or a mismatch between the facet property’s expected data type and the value supplied during evaluation. It can also surface after an in-place upgrade to SQL Server 2025 if legacy policies reference facets whose valid ranges changed between versions.

Step-by-Step Resolution Guide

Step 1: Identify the Offending Policy or Condition

  • Open SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS) and connect to the instance.
  • Navigate to Management > Policy Management > Policies.
  • Check the SQL Server Agent Job history or Event Viewer (Windows Logs > Application) for the full error text, which includes the facet name (e.g., MaxDegreeOfParallelism, FillFactor, NumberOfLogFiles).
  • Note the exact policy name tied to Error 2386 in the Policy Management history.

Step 2: Inspect and Correct the Condition Value

  • Right-click the identified policy and select Properties.
  • Click the linked Condition and review the Field/Operator/Value expression.
  • Compare the entered value against the facet’s documented valid range in Microsoft Docs (e.g., FillFactor must be between 0–100; MaxDegreeOfParallelism must be between 0–32767).
  • Correct the out-of-range value, then click OK to save.

Step 3: Validate Policy XML for Manual Edits

  • If the policy was imported via script, open the .xml export file in a text editor.
  • Search for <Value> tags under the relevant <Condition> node.
  • Ensure numeric values are not negative, null, or exceeding Int32/Int16 boundaries depending on the facet’s underlying SMO property type.
  • Re-import the corrected policy using:
EXEC msdb.dbo.sp_syspolicy_add_policy @policy_stream = N'C:\Policies\corrected_policy.xml';

Step 4: Clear Cached Policy Metadata

  • Restart the SQL Server Agent service via Services.msc (Windows Server 2025/Windows 11) to flush cached PBM evaluation data.
  • Alternatively, run:
EXEC msdb.dbo.sp_syspolicy_purge_history @policy_id = NULL;
  • This clears stale policy history entries that may reference the invalid facet value.

Step 5: Re-run Policy Evaluation

  • Right-click the corrected policy in SSMS and select Evaluate.
  • Confirm no errors are thrown and the policy returns a Pass/Fail result instead of Error 2386.

Alternative or Verification Steps

  • Run EXEC msdb.dbo.sp_syspolicy_get_conditions; to manually confirm the condition values are now within SMO-documented ranges before re-enabling automated policy execution.
  • If the error persists, drop and recreate the policy from scratch via the Policy Management Wizard instead of reusing an imported XML file, as this guarantees SMO populates valid default ranges.