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Running into a setup error while upgrading SQL Server 2025

Andre' Hazelwood 0 Reputation points
2026-01-14T19:03:40.51+00:00

I am trying to upgrade a SQL Server 2022 Standard Instance in a Failover Cluster setup to 2025. In order to get it to fully get past the issue with unable to install with Data Quality services installed, I am running it from the command line with the following arguments. 

setup.exe /IACCEPTDQUNINSTALL /Action="upgrade" /PID="XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX" /INSTANCENAME=MSSQLSERVER /IAcceptSQLServerLicenseTerms

During the process, I am getting the following message. I am attaching the summary.log from the installation.

Microsoft (R) SQL Server 2025 17.00.1000.07
Copyright (c) 2025 Microsoft.  All rights reserved.
The following error occurred:
Value cannot be null.
Parameter name: collection
Error result: -2147467261
Result facility code: 0
Result error code: 16387
Please review the summary.txt log for further details

Any help would be appreciated as I'm trying to upgrade a test environment instance and validate a 3rd party dependency before we upgrade our production cluster.

Thanks.

Summary.log

SQL Server | Other
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  1. Q&A Assist
    2026-01-14T19:03:51.4233333+00:00
    AI generated content. This question contains an answer created with AI from Q&A Assist. Learn more

    It seems you are encountering an error during the upgrade process of SQL Server 2025, specifically related to a null parameter issue. This could be due to several factors, including the presence of Data Quality Services, which you are already addressing with the /IACCEPTDQUNINSTALL parameter.

    Here are a few suggestions to troubleshoot this issue:

    1. Check for Missing Assemblies: The error message you are receiving may indicate that some required assemblies are missing. Ensure that your SQL Server instance has all necessary components installed before the upgrade.
    2. Review Logs: Although you mentioned that you cannot find the summary.txt log, it is crucial to locate it as it may contain detailed information about the error. Check the default installation path for SQL Server logs, typically found in C:\Program Files\Microsoft SQL Server\[InstanceName]\Setup Bootstrap\Log.
    3. Run with Elevated Permissions: Make sure that you are running the command prompt with administrative privileges, as this can sometimes resolve permission-related issues during installation.
    4. Validate Cluster Configuration: Since you are upgrading in a Failover Cluster setup, ensure that the cluster configuration is valid and that there are no underlying issues with the cluster nodes.
    5. Use the Correct Command-Line Parameters: Double-check the command-line parameters you are using. Ensure that all parameters are correctly formatted and that there are no typos.

    If the problem persists, consider reaching out to Microsoft Customer Support Services for more specialized assistance.

    References:

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  2. Erland Sommarskog 131.1K Reputation points MVP Volunteer Moderator
    2026-01-14T22:24:54.4666667+00:00

    Data Quality Services is removed from SQL 2025, so if you want to continue to use DQS, you will need to stay on SQL 2022 until you have found a replacement, I think.

    I found https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/sql/database-engine/install-windows/upgrade-data-quality-services?view=sql-server-ver17 which discusses how to upgrade DQS. The article is ambiguous, as it seems to suggest that you can upgrade. But if it has been removed, it can't be upgraded, can it?

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