Error when you try to call the Prepare method before you add parameters: “An unhandled exception of type ‘System.Data.SqlClient.SqlException’ occurred in system.data.dll”
Symptoms
When you create a parameterized command against Microsoft SQL Server 7.0, if you call the Prepare method before you add parameters to the command, you receive the following error message:
An unhandled exception of type ‘System.Data.SqlClient.SqlException’ occurred in system.data.dll.
Additional information: System error. This problem does not occur in SQL Server 2000.
Resolution
This problem occurs in SQL Server 7.0 because, by design, you cannot run the Prepare method before you add parameters. This applies to most database systems.
SQL Server 2000 does not generate the above-mentioned exception because it does not run Prepare until the first command is executed. This optimization prevents the overhead of Prepare if no commands are subsequently executed.