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Fix SharePoint Subscription Edition SQL Login Failed for Domain Account

Maira Mehtab Sep 28, 2026 869 views

Question details

Users are experiencing SQL login failures when monitoring tools try to verify connectivity to the SharePoint configuration database.

Product: SharePoint Subscription Edition
Device & OS: not provided
Scenario: Monitoring tools or internal services are attempting to connect to the SharePoint_Config database on a SQL Server instance.
Observed behavior: SharePoint application and web servers report SQL login failures, with the error explicitly referencing a domain or machine account rather than the expected farm service account.

Before you start

Ensure you have administrative access to both SharePoint Central Administration and SQL Server Management Studio before troubleshooting service identities and connection permissions.

Solution 1Recommended

Review Logs and Update Service Account Permissions

Identify which SharePoint service or monitoring job is using the incorrect domain account and grant or correct its SQL permissions.

This issue is typically caused by a specific SharePoint service, timer job, or the Microsoft Monitoring Agent attempting to connect to the SQL Server using a domain or machine account instead of the designated farm service account.

Check SQL Server Error Logs

Open SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS), expand the Management folder, and review the SQL Server logs to identify the exact domain or machine account being rejected during login.

Review SharePoint ULS Logs

Use the ULS Viewer tool to check SharePoint logs on the application and web servers. Look for correlation IDs related to the failed database connection attempts to identify the specific service.

Verify Service Identities

Open SharePoint Central Administration, navigate to Security, and select 'Configure service accounts'. Ensure the correct farm account is assigned to the service making the connection.

Update Database Permissions

If a monitoring tool intentionally uses the domain account, return to SSMS, expand Security > Logins, and ensure the account is mapped to the SharePoint_Config database with the necessary read/write permissions.

Microsoft Q&A Support: If you cannot identify the service causing the login failure, consider posting your sanitized logs to the SQL Server Microsoft Q&A forum using the SharePoint tag for advanced expert assistance.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Why is my SharePoint server using a machine account to connect to SQL Server?

This often occurs when a specific service, timer job, or third-party monitoring tool (like Microsoft Monitoring Agent) is misconfigured to run under the Local System or Network Service account instead of the designated SharePoint farm service account.

Where can I find the connection strings used by SharePoint monitoring tools?

SharePoint manages its own database connections centrally. However, if third-party monitoring tools or Microsoft Monitoring Agent are used, you must check their specific configuration files or registry settings for the connection string pointing to the SharePoint_Config database.

How do I fix database access issues for the SharePoint_Config database?

You must ensure that the service or domain account identified in the SQL Server error logs has been granted the appropriate SQL login rights. Open SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS), add the login, and map it to the SharePoint_Config database with the appropriate roles.

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