How to fix Error 9328 on Windows Server 2025 / Windows 11

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SQL Server 2025 Error 9328: “%sType specification expected”

Why This Error Happens

Error 9328 is a parser-level error in SQL Server that occurs when the XML or JSON Query/Value engine encounters a malformed type cast or schema declaration within a query—typically inside an XQuery expression, OPENJSON clause, or a CAST/CONVERT statement targeting XML schema collections. This usually stems from a missing or malformed data type token immediately following a cast as, treat as, or instance of keyword in the query text. It can also surface due to a corrupted or incompletely migrated XML Schema Collection after an upgrade from a prior SQL Server version to SQL Server 2025, where metadata referencing the type library did not resolve correctly.

Step-by-Step Resolution Guide

Step 1: Isolate the Offending Query or Stored Procedure

  • Check the SQL Server Error Log (via SSMS > Management > SQL Server Logs) or Event Viewer on Windows Server 2025 for the full text of Error 9328 to identify which batch, stored procedure, or XML index rebuild triggered it.
  • Run SELECT * FROM sys.messages WHERE message_id = 9328; to confirm the exact language template and cross-reference it against your application’s query logs.

Step 2: Inspect and Correct the Type Cast Syntax

  • Review the XQuery/XML DML statement for syntax like cast as xs: or treat as and verify a valid XML Schema type (e.g., xs:integer, xs:string) immediately follows the keyword with no missing token.
  • For OPENJSON calls, confirm the WITH clause explicitly defines column data types (e.g., WITH (Name varchar(100), Age int)) rather than leaving the type declaration empty or truncated.
  • Example fix: change CAST(xmlCol.value('(/Root/Item)[1]', '') AS ...) to CAST(xmlCol.value('(/Root/Item)[1]', 'nvarchar(50)') AS nvarchar(50)).

Step 3: Validate and Rebuild XML Schema Collections

  • Run SELECT name, xml_collection_id FROM sys.xml_schema_collections; to list all registered schema collections on the affected database.
  • If a schema collection appears incomplete or was migrated improperly, drop and re-import it using CREATE XML SCHEMA COLLECTION with the original .xsd definition file.
  • Restart the SQL Server 2025 service via services.msc on Windows Server 2025 (or Restart-Service MSSQLSERVER in PowerShell) after re-registering the schema to clear any cached query plans referencing the old metadata.

Step 4: Update SQL Server 2025 Cumulative Updates

  • Open SQL Server Setup or check via SELECT @@VERSION; to confirm your current build number.
  • Download and apply the latest Cumulative Update (CU) from the Microsoft Update Catalog, since early SQL Server 2025 builds had known parser edge-cases with nested type specifications in JSON/XML functions.

Alternative or Verification Steps

  • After applying the fix, re-run the original query in SSMS with Include Actual Execution Plan enabled; if it compiles and executes without throwing Error 9328, the type specification issue is resolved.
  • As an alternative, isolate the problematic expression using SET PARSEONLY ON; before running the statement—this validates syntax without executing it, helping you confirm if the type token is now correctly recognized before rolling the fix into production.