MSSQLMSSQL 1222

MSSQL 1222: Lock Request Time Out Period Exceeded

SQL Server error 1222 is raised when a statement cannot acquire a lock within the time defined by SET LOCK_TIMEOUT. The statement is aborted but the transaction is not automatically rolled back.

Example Query

SET LOCK_TIMEOUT 1000; -- 1 second
SELECT * FROM orders WITH (UPDLOCK) WHERE id = 1;
-- Times out if another session holds the lock

Common Causes

  1. 1Another session holding a lock on the required resource for too long
  2. 2LOCK_TIMEOUT set very low in the session
  3. 3Blocking chain where multiple sessions wait on a single blocker

How to Fix It

Identify blockers with SELECT * FROM sys.dm_exec_requests WHERE blocking_session_id <> 0. Use READ COMMITTED SNAPSHOT ISOLATION (RCSI) to eliminate reader-writer blocking. Optimise long transactions to release locks faster.

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