Azure DevOps Collation Issue

Question

Azure DevOps Collation Issue

Ahmed Amin 0

Hi,

I have an issue with our Azure DevOps server2022.2, suddenly we are not able to create any project on it.

digging into the logs we found the below error message.

[02:30:51.723] Executing step: 'Create the Team Project' Integration.CreateTeamProject (4 of 10)

[02:30:51.810] [Error] Invalid collation 'Latin1_General_CI_AI_KI_WS'.

This issue raised right after upgrade from Azure DevOps Server 2020 to Azure DevOps server2022.2.

Our SQL Server collation is: Latin1_General_CI_AS_KS_WS

Azure DevOps database collation is: Latin1_General_CI_AS_KS_WS

Any help on how solve this issue.

Thanks & Regards

Ahmed Amin

Mohammad Altaf 360 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-08-06T17:40:57.0366667+00:00
Hi @Ahmed Amin , Welcome to Microsoft Q&A.

Thank you for the information provided.

Based on the logs shared, the failure occurs during the Create** Team **Project operation and reports:

Invalid collation 'Latin1_General_CI_AI_KI_WS'

We understand this behavior started after upgrading from Azure** DevOps Server 2020 to Azure DevOps Server **2022.2, and the project creation process is currently failing.

To further investigate, could you please help us with the following information?

Does the issue occur for all newly created Team Projects?

Can you confirm whether existing projects remain accessible and functional?

Please share the collation of:

Azure DevOps Configuration Database

Azure DevOps Collection Database(s)

SQL Server Instance

Please provide the complete exception stack trace from the Azure DevOps application tier logs corresponding to the failed project creation attempt.

We have observed similar reports where project or team creation failed after upgrading to Azure DevOps Server 2022.2 due to collation-related validation during project creation. We would like to validate the database and server collation configuration before determining the next investigation path.

Once we receive the above details, we will continue the analysis and advise on the next steps.

Thank you!
Ahmed Amin 0 Reputation points

2026-08-06T20:41:42.24+00:00
Dear Mohamed,

Kindly find below.

Does the issue occur for all newly created Team Projects? Yes, New projects only. and even i tried to create a new collection and got the same error.

Can you confirm whether existing projects remain accessible and functional? Yes, current projects are working normally for more than 8 months now.

Please share the collation of:

Azure DevOps Configuration Database :

Azure DevOps Collection Database(s)

SQL Server Instance

Please provide the complete exception stack trace from the Azure DevOps application tier logs corresponding to the failed project creation attempt.

SQL Server 2019: Collation Latin1_General_CI_AS_KS_WS

Tfs_Configuration: Latin1_General_CI_AS_KS_WS

Tfs_DefaultCollection: Latin1_General_CI_AS_KS_WS

Tfs_Warehouse: Latin1_General_CI_AS_KS_WS

Log file: ErrorLog.txt

Thanks & Regards

Ahmed Amin
Mohammad Altaf 360 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-08-07T00:06:14.92+00:00

Hi Ahmed,

Thank you for providing the complete logs and collation details.

The information confirms that the SQL Server instance and all Azure DevOps databases are configured with the same supported collation (Latin1_General_CI_AS_KS_WS). Existing projects continue to function normally, while the failure is limited to new Team Project and Collection creation.

The stack trace shows that the operation succeeds through the framework provisioning stages and fails during the Integration.CreateTeamProject phase when Azure DevOps creates the default project groups and team structures. At that point, Azure DevOps attempts to use the collation Latin1_General_CI_AI_KI_WS, which results in the SQL exception:

Invalid collation 'Latin1_General_CI_AI_KI_WS'

Since the configured SQL Server and Azure DevOps databases are not using this collation, the behavior does not appear to be caused by the current database configuration. We recommend ensuring the Azure DevOps Server deployment is updated to the latest available 2022.2 patch level. If the issue persists, the behavior is consistent with a project creation workflow issue introduced after the upgrade and requires Azure DevOps product team review.

Thank you!

Answer recommended by moderator

Ahmed Amin 0

Thanks Mohamed,

I got reply from Microsoft with a workaround it is related to a stored procedure in the Configuration database "prc_CreateGroups".

by changing the below line

Before:

SELECT @collation = REPLACE(REPLACE(REPLACE(collation_name, '_AS', '_AI'),
'_CS', '_CI'), '_KS', '_KI') FROM sys.columns WHERE object_id = OBJECT_ID('tbl_Group')
AND name = 'DisplayName';

After:

SELECT @collation = REPLACE(REPLACE(collation_name, '_AS', '_AI'),'_CS', '_CI') FROM sys.columns WHERE object_id = OBJECT_ID('tbl_Group')AND name = 'DisplayName';

I am following up with Microsoft to make sure this will not be changed in future.

Thanks & Regards

Ahmed Amin

Mohammad Altaf 360 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-08-07T21:49:00.5566667+00:00

Hi Ahmed,

Thank you for sharing the update.

The workaround provided by Microsoft aligns with the behavior observed in the logs. It appears Azure DevOps is generating an invalid collation name during project creation, which results in the project and collection creation failure. The proposed stored procedure change addresses that behavior.

As this involves a modification to an Azure DevOps database stored procedure, I recommend confirming with the Azure DevOps product team whether this workaround will be included in a future update or hotfix.

Please let us know if the workaround resolves the issue in your environment.

Thank you.
Erland Sommarskog 137.4K Reputation points MVP Volunteer Moderator

2026-08-07T21:56:30.89+00:00

It was great to hear that this was simple to fix by changing a stored procedure. I feared that the bug was in client code, in which case it would have required a full hotfix.
Ahmed Amin 0 Reputation points

2026-08-08T10:06:42.1533333+00:00

Yes, the workaround resolves the issue in our environment.

I am waiting for Microsoft feedback to know if they will address this fix in the upcoming patch.

Thanks & Regards

Ahmed Amin
Erland Sommarskog 137.4K Reputation points MVP Volunteer Moderator

2026-08-13T20:53:42.3366667+00:00

I took the liberty to rearrange the thread and make Ahmed's post an answer, and also made it the recommended answer. There might be more people who run into the same issue, so this should help them finding a solution more directly.

2 additional answers

Your answer

Mohammad Altaf 360 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-08-06T17:40:57.0366667+00:00

Hi @Ahmed Amin , Welcome to Microsoft Q&A.

Thank you for the information provided.

Based on the logs shared, the failure occurs during the Create** Team **Project operation and reports:

Invalid collation 'Latin1_General_CI_AI_KI_WS'

We understand this behavior started after upgrading from Azure** DevOps Server 2020 to Azure DevOps Server **2022.2, and the project creation process is currently failing.

To further investigate, could you please help us with the following information?

Does the issue occur for all newly created Team Projects?

Can you confirm whether existing projects remain accessible and functional?

Please share the collation of:

Azure DevOps Configuration Database

Azure DevOps Collection Database(s)

SQL Server Instance

Please provide the complete exception stack trace from the Azure DevOps application tier logs corresponding to the failed project creation attempt.

We have observed similar reports where project or team creation failed after upgrading to Azure DevOps Server 2022.2 due to collation-related validation during project creation. We would like to validate the database and server collation configuration before determining the next investigation path.

Once we receive the above details, we will continue the analysis and advise on the next steps.

Thank you!
Ahmed Amin 0 Reputation points

2026-08-06T20:41:42.24+00:00

Dear Mohamed,

Kindly find below.

Does the issue occur for all newly created Team Projects? Yes, New projects only. and even i tried to create a new collection and got the same error.

Can you confirm whether existing projects remain accessible and functional? Yes, current projects are working normally for more than 8 months now.

Please share the collation of:

Azure DevOps Configuration Database :

Azure DevOps Collection Database(s)

SQL Server Instance

Please provide the complete exception stack trace from the Azure DevOps application tier logs corresponding to the failed project creation attempt.

SQL Server 2019: Collation Latin1_General_CI_AS_KS_WS

Tfs_Configuration: Latin1_General_CI_AS_KS_WS

Tfs_DefaultCollection: Latin1_General_CI_AS_KS_WS

Tfs_Warehouse: Latin1_General_CI_AS_KS_WS

Log file: ErrorLog.txt

Thanks & Regards

Ahmed Amin
Mohammad Altaf 360 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-08-07T00:06:14.92+00:00

Hi Ahmed,

Thank you for providing the complete logs and collation details.

The information confirms that the SQL Server instance and all Azure DevOps databases are configured with the same supported collation (Latin1_General_CI_AS_KS_WS). Existing projects continue to function normally, while the failure is limited to new Team Project and Collection creation.

The stack trace shows that the operation succeeds through the framework provisioning stages and fails during the Integration.CreateTeamProject phase when Azure DevOps creates the default project groups and team structures. At that point, Azure DevOps attempts to use the collation Latin1_General_CI_AI_KI_WS, which results in the SQL exception:

Invalid collation 'Latin1_General_CI_AI_KI_WS'

Since the configured SQL Server and Azure DevOps databases are not using this collation, the behavior does not appear to be caused by the current database configuration. We recommend ensuring the Azure DevOps Server deployment is updated to the latest available 2022.2 patch level. If the issue persists, the behavior is consistent with a project creation workflow issue introduced after the upgrade and requires Azure DevOps product team review.

Thank you!
Mohammad Altaf 360 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-08-07T21:49:00.5566667+00:00

Hi Ahmed,

Thank you for sharing the update.

The workaround provided by Microsoft aligns with the behavior observed in the logs. It appears Azure DevOps is generating an invalid collation name during project creation, which results in the project and collection creation failure. The proposed stored procedure change addresses that behavior.

As this involves a modification to an Azure DevOps database stored procedure, I recommend confirming with the Azure DevOps product team whether this workaround will be included in a future update or hotfix.

Please let us know if the workaround resolves the issue in your environment.

Thank you.
Erland Sommarskog 137.4K Reputation points MVP Volunteer Moderator

2026-08-07T21:56:30.89+00:00

It was great to hear that this was simple to fix by changing a stored procedure. I feared that the bug was in client code, in which case it would have required a full hotfix.
Ahmed Amin 0 Reputation points

2026-08-08T10:06:42.1533333+00:00

Yes, the workaround resolves the issue in our environment.

I am waiting for Microsoft feedback to know if they will address this fix in the upcoming patch.

Thanks & Regards

Ahmed Amin
Erland Sommarskog 137.4K Reputation points MVP Volunteer Moderator

2026-08-13T20:53:42.3366667+00:00

I took the liberty to rearrange the thread and make Ahmed's post an answer, and also made it the recommended answer. There might be more people who run into the same issue, so this should help them finding a solution more directly.

Answer 1

Hi Ahmed

Thank you for providing the additional details and logs.

Based on the information shared, the SQL Server instance and Azure DevOps databases were configured with the expected collation, and existing projects continued to function normally. The issue was limited to the creation of new Team Projects and Project Collections after upgrading to Azure DevOps Server 2022.2.

During the investigation, we reviewed the project creation logs, validated the SQL Server and Azure DevOps database collations, and identified that the failure occurred during the Create Team Project workflow when an invalid collation value was being generated.

To address the issue, Microsoft recommended updating the logic in the prc_CreateGroups stored procedure within the Azure DevOps Configuration database so that the invalid collation value is no longer generated during Team Project and Collection creation.

As a result, the recommended resolution is:

Verify that the SQL Server and Azure DevOps databases are using the expected collation.
Review the prc_CreateGroups stored procedure in the Azure DevOps Configuration database.
Apply the Microsoft-recommended modification to the stored procedure logic.
Retest Team Project or Collection creation after the change.

If you are experiencing the same "Invalid collation 'Latin1_General_CI_AI_KI_WS'" error after upgrading to Azure DevOps Server 2022.2, reviewing and updating the prc_CreateGroups stored procedure as recommended by Microsoft should help resolve the issue.

Additionally, it is recommended to monitor future Azure DevOps Server updates and release notes for a permanent product fix.

If the assistance was helpful, kindly take a moment to click on Accept Answer and click on Yes. It will be helpful for other community members.

Thank you!

Answer 2

Erland Sommarskog 137.4K MVP Volunteer Moderator

That definitely sounds like a bug in the product that is difficult for you to address with less than changing the server and database collation.

It seems that DevOps in some situation for some reason wants to enforce a collation that is accent- and kana-insensitive collation, so it overrides your server collation, but in the wrong way. There are no collations with KI in the name, but kana-insensitive collations simply recognised by the absence of KS in the name. That is, the correct collation name is Latin1_General_CI_AI_WS.

My expertise is with SQL Server itself, and I am out of touch with Azure DevOps these days. I'm a little surprised that a bug like this would go unnoticed for four years, assuming the DevOps server 2022.2 was actually released in 2022. While kana-sensitive collations are not that common, they are not so rare that you would be the first one to run into this issue. So I would check if there are later versions/patches that addresses this problem. If you can't find any patch, open a support case with Microsoft.

I would not recommend that you change the server and database collation, because this is a very complex and time-consuming operation. But as it happens I have an article that describes how to do this: https://www.sommarskog.se/collation-change.html And, of course you may have good reason to use a kana- and witdh-sensitive collation. Note however, that these settings only applies to data in Japanese.

Ahmed Amin 0 Reputation points

2026-08-06T20:27:54.7466667+00:00

Thanks Erland.

Yes, it seems un-noticed bug. I have searched all 2022 patches and it is not mentioned in any.

I applied a recent patch with no luck and even changed the SQL server collation on test environment but the error still the same.

I agree with you that changing the SQL server and database collation (specially the database) is very complex.

I wait little bit and see if anyone face this issue.

Thanks & Regards

Ahmed Amin
Erland Sommarskog 137.4K Reputation points MVP Volunteer Moderator

2026-08-06T21:10:05.84+00:00

I agree with you that changing the SQL server and database collation (specially the database) is very complex.

I should add one more point here: You should only do this, if you are recommended to so by Microsoft support staff, and they would be the one that should supply the scripts. While my article is meant to be helpful, if you would do this without support from the vendor and things go south, you would run the risk of being unsupported.

It seems from Mohammad's response that Microsoft has seen this before, although they don't have a fix. It sounds a little funny that it would strike only after a certain upgrade, but maybe there is a code path that is only hit in that scenario.