Problem Description
Microsoft SQL resources fail to populate inside the Druva Management Console during discovery. While the host server is successfully registered and the backup agent status displays as Connected or Activated, no SQL instances or databases appear under the Resources tab. Triggering manual discovery workflows does not resolve the issue, leaving the environment unprotected at the application level.
Traceback
To confirm this root cause, check the agent's Discovery.log file on the affected SQL server (typically located under C:\ProgramData\Druva\EnterpriseWorkloads\logs\ or C:\ProgramData\Phoenix\SQL\).
Look for entries similar to the following traceback:
[2025-01-14 11:42:08] INFO [SqlDiscovery] Starting SQL resource discovery... [2025-01-14 11:42:09] ERROR [SqlInstanceValidator] Unsupported SQL version detected: SQL Server 15.0 (Express) [2025-01-14 11:42:09] ERROR [SqlDiscovery] Failed to enumerate SQL instances. System.Exception: Unsupported SQL version: Express editions are not supported. at Druva.SQL.Validator.ValidateInstance(SqlInstance instance) at Druva.SQL.Discovery.SqlDiscoveryService.DiscoverInstances() [2025-01-14 11:42:10] INFO [AgentService] Discovery completed with errors. No SQL resources found.
Cause
This issue occurs because the target host is running a Microsoft SQL Server Express edition (e.g., SQL Server 2019 Express).
Druva Enterprise Workloads supports application-aware backups for Web, Developer, Standard, and Enterprise editions of Microsoft SQL Server. It explicitly does not support Express editions for automatic resource discovery and native database protection.
Resolution
To resolve this issue and protect your database environment, choose one of the following paths:
Option 1: Upgrade to a Supported Edition (Recommended)
Upgrade your Microsoft SQL Server deployment from the Express edition to a supported edition, such as Standard or Enterprise. Once upgraded, trigger a manual discovery from the Druva Management Console to automatically populate the instances and databases under the Resources tab.
Option 2: Alternative File-Level Backup Workaround
If upgrading the database instance is not an option, you can still protect your data using Druva's File Server agent:
Configure a native SQL Server maintenance plan or script within management studio to periodically export full database backups (
.bakfiles) to a local folder on the server.Install and configure the Druva File Server agent on the host.
Configure a file backup set to target the folder where your
.bakfiles are exported to safely back them up to the cloud.