FIX –‘ The specified @proxy_name ('Cmd_Exec') does not exist.’ In SQL Server

I was working on a client project to move the database jobs from one server to another. While we were in the middle of the job migration, one of the job prompted an error saying –‘ The specified @proxy_name ('Cmd_Exec') does not exist.’ Once I found the solution and fixed in the production, I wanted to share the same fix on my blog as well so that all of us are aware of this simple fix.

The CmdExec is a feature by Microsoft to define executable program or operating system command by using SQL Server Management Studio. My client had a job step that was executing the powershell script. That same step was generating the error for them.

However, for more details on CmdExec, please refer to this document.

How to fix “The specified @proxy_name(‘Cmd_Exec’) does not exist”?

I am sure that, when you had received the error message, the respective credentials were not present. Please see the image below of my sample credential.

Steps to fix the error:

1. To fix the error, navigate to the credentials option (Expand Instance --> Security --> Credentials) in your SSMS.

2. Create the credential. In my case, I have created MyCreds as the credential name and tagged MyCred_Login as the identity. Set a password for the credential you are creating.

3. Now, navigate to the proxies option (Expand SQL Server Agent --> Proxies --> Operating System (CmdExec)) in your SSMS.

4. Create a new proxy either by using the GUI or through script. The SQL Server uses sp_add_proxy system stored procedure to create the proxy internally.

Creating Proxy using script:

USE [msdb]
GO
EXEC msdb.dbo.sp_add_proxy @proxy_name=N'Cmd_Exec',@credential_name=N'MyCreds',@enabled=1
GO
EXEC msdb.dbo.sp_grant_proxy_to_subsystem @proxy_name=N'Cmd_Exec', @subsystem_id=3
GO
EXEC msdb.dbo.sp_grant_proxy_to_subsystem @proxy_name=N'Cmd_Exec', @subsystem_id=12
GO

Once the above steps are followed and your credential and proxies are set right, the SSMS will no longer give the error message.

Bottomline

Cmd_Exec error gets generated when any job step has an execution command either at the operting system level or powershell. Following the above steps can get rid of the error message.