40501: The service is currently busy. Retry the request after 10 seconds
SQL ServerWhat does it mean?
In Azure SQL Database, the service temporarily rejected the request due to resource pressure (engine throttling). The system is busy and the client is expected to retry shortly.
Why does it happen?
A resource such as CPU, connections, transaction log write rate or worker count hitting the limit of the selected service tier (DTU/vCore); a sudden load spike; or long-running/inefficient queries consuming the resource. The 'reason code' accompanying the error shows which resource is being throttled.
How to fix it
Implement retry logic with exponential backoff in the application; this is the expected behavior for transient errors. Review resource usage: sys.dm_db_resource_stats and Azure portal metrics. Optimize queries/indexes and reduce unnecessary concurrency. If saturation is persistent, scale up the service tier (DTU/vCore).
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