How to fix error recording sp_whoisactive results to table?

Question

Have a sql agent job modeled from here that uses sp_whoisactive to capture results to a table. 99% it works fine but every now and then the sql agent job will fail with this error:

Warning: Null value is eliminated by an aggregate or other SET operation. [SQLSTATE 01003] (Message 8153) Violation of PRIMARY KEY constraint 'PK__#ADDF8B9__69B13FDC8C10EA7F'. Cannot insert duplicate key in object 'dbo.@blockers'. The duplicate key value is (623). [SQLSTATE 23000] (Error 2627) The statement has been terminated. [SQLSTATE 01000] (Error 3621) Warning: Null value is eliminated by an aggregate or other SET operation. [SQLSTATE 01003] (Message 8153) Warning: Null value is eliminated by an aggregate or other SET operation. [SQLSTATE 01003] (Message 8153). The step failed.

Here is table def

USE [Maint]
GO

/****** Object:  Table [dbo].[WhoIsActive]    ******/
SET ANSI_NULLS ON
GO

SET QUOTED_IDENTIFIER ON
GO

CREATE TABLE [dbo].[WhoIsActive](
    [dd hh:mm:ss.mss] [varchar](8000) NULL,
    [session_id] [smallint] NOT NULL,
    [sql_text] [xml] NULL,
    [sql_command] [xml] NULL,
    [login_name] [nvarchar](128) NOT NULL,
    [wait_info] [nvarchar](4000) NULL,
    [tran_log_writes] [nvarchar](4000) NULL,
    [CPU] [varchar](30) NULL,
    [tempdb_allocations] [varchar](30) NULL,
    [tempdb_current] [varchar](30) NULL,
    [blocking_session_id] [smallint] NULL,
    [reads] [varchar](30) NULL,
    [writes] [varchar](30) NULL,
    [physical_reads] [varchar](30) NULL,
    [query_plan] [xml] NULL,
    [used_memory] [varchar](30) NULL,
    [status] [varchar](30) NOT NULL,
    [tran_start_time] [datetime] NULL,
    [open_tran_count] [varchar](30) NULL,
    [percent_complete] [varchar](30) NULL,
    [host_name] [nvarchar](128) NULL,
    [database_name] [nvarchar](128) NULL,
    [program_name] [nvarchar](128) NULL,
    [start_time] [datetime] NOT NULL,
    [login_time] [datetime] NULL,
    [request_id] [int] NULL,
    [collection_time] [datetime] NOT NULL
) ON [PRIMARY] TEXTIMAGE_ON [PRIMARY]
GO

What is causing this error?

sp_whoisactive version = v11.11.

Answer 1

You will have to download a newer version of Adam Machanic's sp_whoisactive stored procedure.

Preferably 11.16 or newer:

Version 11.16 - October 18, 2016 (Box versions 2005-2017 only. NOT for Azure PAAS.)

• Fixed algorithm for identifying "special" database pages (e.g. GAM, SGAM). Thanks, Robert Davis!
• Fixed @blockers duplicate key bug

In the code the definition of the @blockers table variable was changed to:

...
DECLARE @blockers TABLE
(
session_id INT NOT NULL PRIMARY KEY WITH (IGNORE_DUP_KEY = ON) /*<<== HERE!*/
);
...

And then again, you could modify your existing code.

Answer 2

with the latest version (11.35) of sp_whoisactive it works.

https://github.com/amachanic/sp_whoisactive/releases

I used this parameters to match your columns:

sp_whoisactive
    @get_transaction_info = 1,
    @get_outer_command = 1,
    @get_full_inner_text = 1, 
    @get_plans = 1, 
    @destination_table = '[dbo].[WhoIsActive]'

It is a bug of that release regarding blocking id solved with the relase 11.16 and above (as told by John K. N.)

http://whoisactive.com/downloads/