Error: Failed to connect to the specified database when creating a Microsoft Identity Manager Service MA

Last week I was installing Microsoft Identity Manager into a development environment. The install was using Microsoft Identity Manager 2016 with SP1 and was version 4.5.285.0. The install had gone well, SQL, Synchronisation Server, MIM Service and Portal etc. I had even created a couple of Management Agents. However when it came time to create the Microsoft Identity Manager Service MA, the Synchronisation Server returned the error “Failed to connect to the specified database”.

Jumping over to the Event Log I found the error below. The current version of database is not compatible with the one expected by Forefront Identity Manager service. The current version of the database is : 2008. The expected version is : 2015.

Now this was a fresh install. That error usually indicates the database has been restored from a previous version. But speed reading I thinking SQL Server, not Database. My SQL Server is 2016.

Validating that via SQL Management Studio returned what I expected.

Looking at the database itself, it showed a compatibility level of 2008.

With nothing to lose I set the compatibility level to 2016. On the next attempt to create the MIM Service MA I still got my database error.

At this point I was short on options. This was a fresh brand new installation so I had no backups yet.

I downloaded the latest hotfix for Microsoft Identity Manager (currently 4.5.286.0) from here and updated my Synchronisation Server and MIM Service and Portal.

Following that I was able to create the MIM Service MA and successfully perform a Stage of data from the MIM Service.

Summary

If on a fresh install of Microsoft Identity Manager you receive the error “Failed to connect to the specified database” and all your configuration settings are correct, and the event logs indicate a Database Version error, install the latest hotfix and you should be back in action.