errorSQL ServerError 1205

SQL Server Error 1205: Transaction Deadlock Victim

Error Message
Msg 1205, Level 13, State 51, Line 1
Transaction (Process ID 58) was deadlocked on lock | thread resources with another process and has been chosen as the deadlock victim. Rerun the transaction.

What is SQL Server Error 1205?

SQL Server Error 1205 occurs when the SQL Server deadlock monitor detects two transactions that are each waiting for a lock held by the other, creating a circular wait. SQL Server automatically kills one transaction (the victim) to break the deadlock.

Common Causes

  • 1

    Two transactions accessing the same tables in opposite orders

  • 2

    Long-running transactions holding locks for too long

  • 3

    Missing indexes forcing full table scans that hold more locks

  • 4

    Implicit transaction boundaries in ORMs holding locks longer than necessary

  • 5

    Application-level locks combined with database locks creating circular waits

Step-by-Step Solutions

1

Retry the deadlock victim transaction (Error 1205 is always retriable)

2

Capture and analyze deadlock graphs: System Health session or Deadlock Trace Flag 1222

3

Reorder table access to be consistent across all transactions

4

Add missing indexes to reduce lock scope and duration

5

Use READ COMMITTED SNAPSHOT ISOLATION (RCSI) to reduce reader-writer deadlocks

6

Keep transactions short — minimize time between BEGIN TRAN and COMMIT

Prevention Tips

  • Always access tables in the same order across all stored procedures and queries

  • Enable RCSI: ALTER DATABASE db SET READ_COMMITTED_SNAPSHOT ON

  • Use covering indexes to minimize the rows locked during scans

  • Keep transactions as short as possible — don't do network calls inside a transaction

  • Implement retry logic in the application for deadlock errors (error 1205)

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I prevent deadlocks in SQL Server?
Key strategies: 1) Access tables in the same order in all transactions. 2) Enable Read Committed Snapshot Isolation (RCSI) to eliminate reader-writer deadlocks. 3) Keep transactions short and fast. 4) Add indexes to reduce lock duration. 5) Capture deadlock graphs to identify the specific tables and queries involved.
Should I retry after SQL Server Error 1205?
Yes. Error 1205 is always retriable — the deadlock victim transaction was rolled back cleanly. The standard pattern: catch error 1205, wait a short random time (e.g., 100-500ms), retry the transaction. Implement exponential backoff to avoid retry storms under high contention.

Related Errors

SQL SERVER 547SQL SERVER 2627

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