# FM3 error: Could not configure SQL Server for DATA ACCESS

**URL:** <https://clarionhub.com/t/fm3-error-could-not-configure-sql-server-for-data-access/9473>\
**Category:** questions\
**Tags:** mssql, fm3\
**Created:** [November 1, 2026, 6:47pm UTC](https://clarionhub.com/t/fm3-error-could-not-configure-sql-server-for-data-access/9473 "2026-11-01T18:47:27Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Bjarne\_Havnen](https://clarionhub.com/user_avatar/clarionhub.com/bjarne_havnen/32/1350_2.png) [@Bjarne\_Havnen](https://clarionhub.com/u/Bjarne_Havnen)\
**Post date:** [November 1, 2026, 6:47pm UTC](https://clarionhub.com/t/fm3-error-could-not-configure-sql-server-for-data-access/9473/1 "2026-11-01T18:47:28Z")

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This came out of the blue today, I suspect DBA has made changes to the server, but don't know where to start looking. User should be a db\_owner. As far as I can tell, the required changes were done. I am not sure which file it talks about, but the suspect could be a file where I drop one computed field before performing upgrade.

 ![fm3](https://clarionhub-uploads.s3.dualstack.eu-north-1.amazonaws.com/original/2X/c/c20dba854f34e09da1cf6d1f51af21f4c3f0e3bb.png)

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**Author:** ![Nardus\_Swanevelder](https://clarionhub.com/user_avatar/clarionhub.com/nardus_swanevelder/32/1066_2.png) [@Nardus\_Swanevelder](https://clarionhub.com/u/Nardus_Swanevelder)\
**Post date:** [November 2, 2026, 1:46pm UTC](https://clarionhub.com/t/fm3-error-could-not-configure-sql-server-for-data-access/9473/2 "2026-11-02T13:46:55Z")

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That error is FM3’s M36 — it isn’t about your table. FM3 needs the local server registered as a linked server with DATA ACCESS = TRUE, and if it isn’t, FM3 tries to set it with `sp_serveroption`. That needs ALTER ANY LINKED SERVER (a server permission), so db\_owner isn’t enough — which is why it “came out of the blue” after the DBA touched the server.

Check first:

sql

```sql
SELECT @@SERVERNAME;
SELECT name
     , is_linked
     , is_data_access_enabled
  FROM sys.servers;

```

If the row for @@SERVERNAME is missing, or `is_data_access_enabled = 0`, have the DBA run once as sysadmin:

sql

```sql
EXEC sp_serveroption @server = @@SERVERNAME
                   , @optname = 'DATA ACCESS'
                   , @optvalue = 'TRUE';

```

(If @@SERVERNAME isn’t in sys.servers at all, the DBA needs `sp_addserver '<name>', 'local'` and a service restart first — that happens after a rename.)

Once DATA ACCESS is already TRUE, FM3 never needs to set it, so the app login can stay db\_owner. The alternative is to grant the login `ALTER ANY LINKED SERVER`, but most DBAs won’t, and it isn’t needed if the option is set once.

CapeSoft’s own notes on this are in the FM3 SQL docs under “The SQL Database”.

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Bjarne\_Havnen](https://clarionhub.com/user_avatar/clarionhub.com/bjarne_havnen/32/1350_2.png) [@Bjarne\_Havnen](https://clarionhub.com/u/Bjarne_Havnen)\
**Post date:** [November 2, 2026, 2:17pm UTC](https://clarionhub.com/t/fm3-error-could-not-configure-sql-server-for-data-access/9473/3 "2026-11-02T14:17:39Z")

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Thank you. We have used a login separate from a sysadmin login, so probably exactly what must be changed 🙂