How to fix Error 5344 on Windows Server 2025 / Windows 11

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Troubleshooting Guide: Error 5344 – Duplicate Column Ordinal in WITH Schema Clause

Why This Error Happens

Error 5344 occurs when a query using the WITH <schema> clause (commonly in OPENROWSET, OPENJSON, or external table definitions) specifies the same column ordinal position more than once. This typically results from a manually authored or auto-generated schema definition where column indexes were copy-pasted incorrectly or a script loop failed to increment the ordinal counter. It can also surface after a schema migration where column mappings were merged or duplicated without validation.

Step-by-Step Resolution Guide

Step 1: Locate and Inspect the Offending Query

  • Open SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS) and pull the exact query from the SQL Server error log or Extended Events session.
  • Identify the WITH (...) clause and list every column definition along with its ordinal value (e.g., col1 VARCHAR(50) 1, col2 INT 2).
  • Pay close attention to queries using OPENJSON with an explicit schema, as these are the most common source of this error.

Step 2: Audit and Correct Column Ordinal Values

  • Manually count the ordinal numbers in sequence starting from 1 (or 0, depending on the data source convention).
  • Remove any duplicate ordinal references — each column must have a unique position value.
  • If the schema was generated programmatically (e.g., via PowerShell or a dynamic SQL script), inspect the generation script for a broken loop counter, such as a hardcoded index instead of an incrementing variable.

Step 3: Rebuild the Schema Definition Cleanly

  • Drop and recreate the WITH clause definition rather than patching it, to avoid missing a secondary duplicate.
  • For external tables, run:
  DROP EXTERNAL TABLE dbo.YourTableName;

then recreate it with corrected ordinals.

  • Save the corrected script and re-run it against a test database before deploying to production.

Step 4: Clear Cached Query Plans (If Error Persists)

  • Run DBCC FREEPROCCACHE to eliminate any cached execution plan referencing the old, broken schema.
  • Restart the SQL Server service via services.msc on Windows Server 2025 only if the issue persists after cache clearing.

Alternative or Verification Steps

  • Re-execute the corrected query in SSMS and confirm it returns results without Error 5344 appearing in the Messages tab or the SQL Server error log.
  • As an alternative, use sp_describe_first_result_set against your query to validate the column ordinal sequence programmatically before deploying it in production code.