null pointer on INSERT into NSERT into table BATCH_JOB_EXECUTION_CONTEXT

[RobertGloverJr]

I am getting a null pointer exception when Spring Batch tries to do an INSERT into table BATCH_JOB_EXECUTION_CONTEXT. All the prior INSERT's that spring batch does into the other spring batch tables work okay. Am using MS SqlServer 2005, using 2.0.4.RELEASE of spring-batch-core with Spring Framework 2.5.6.
The batch job was working fine with MapJobRepositoryFactoryBean. This only started today when I changed to the following.
Are there any known bugs that could cause this, or workarounds that could circumvent this?

<batch:job-repository id="jobRepository"
	 data-source="dataSource"
	transaction-manager="txManager" 
	isolation-level-for-create="REPEATABLE_READ"
	table-prefix="BATCH_" />

snc: 97427 DEBUG springframework.jdbc.core.JdbcTemplate - Executing prepared SQL statement [INSERT INTO BATCH_JOB_EXECUTION_CONTEXT (SHORT_CONTEXT, SERIALIZED_CONTEXT, JOB_EXECUTION_ID) VALUES(?, ?, ?)]
snc: 97427 DEBUG springframework.transaction.support.TransactionSynchronizationManager - Retrieved value [org.springframework.jdbc.datasource.ConnectionHolder@17f9a29] for key [org.apache.commons.dbcp.PoolingDataSource@162a121] bound to thread [http-8080-2]
snc: 97427 DEBUG springframework.transaction.support.TransactionSynchronizationManager - Retrieved value [org.springframework.jdbc.datasource.ConnectionHolder@17f9a29] for key [org.apache.commons.dbcp.PoolingDataSource@162a121] bound to thread [http-8080-2]
snc: 312461 DEBUG springframework.transaction.support.TransactionSynchronizationManager - Retrieved value [org.springframework.jdbc.datasource.ConnectionHolder@17f9a29] for key [org.apache.commons.dbcp.PoolingDataSource@162a121] bound to thread [http-8080-2]
snc: 312461 DEBUG springframework.transaction.interceptor.TransactionInterceptor - Completing transaction for [org.springframework.batch.core.repository.JobRepository.createJobExecution] after exception: java.lang.NullPointerException
snc: 312461 DEBUG springframework.transaction.interceptor.RuleBasedTransactionAttribute - Applying rules to determine whether transaction should rollback on java.lang.NullPointerException
snc: 312461 DEBUG springframework.transaction.interceptor.RuleBasedTransactionAttribute - Winning rollback rule is: null
snc: 312461 DEBUG springframework.transaction.interceptor.RuleBasedTransactionAttribute - No relevant rollback rule found: applying default rules
...snip...
snc: 312649 DEBUG springframework.transaction.support.TransactionSynchronizationManager - Clearing transaction synchronization
snc: 312649 DEBUG springframework.transaction.support.TransactionSynchronizationManager - Removed value [org.springframework.jdbc.datasource.ConnectionHolder@75479a] for key [org.apache.commons.dbcp.PoolingDataSource@162a121] from thread [http-8080-2]
snc: 312680 DEBUG springframework.jdbc.datasource.DataSourceTransactionManager - Releasing JDBC Connection [jdbc:microsoft:sqlserver://m-sncdbd01.frb.gov:1433;NETADDRESS=000000000000;HOSTPROCESS=0;SENDSTRINGPARAMETERSASUNICODE=true;LOGINTIMEOUT=0;DATABASENAME=SNC_III;PROGRAMNAME=;SELECTMETHOD=direct;WSID=, UserName=sncInternal, SQLServer] after transaction
snc: 312680 DEBUG springframework.jdbc.datasource.DataSourceUtils - Returning JDBC Connection to DataSource
snc: 312680 DEBUG snc.spring.exception.CreditsExceptionResolver - doResolveException ex.class: java.lang.NullPointerException
java.lang.NullPointerException
	at com.microsoft.jdbc.sqlserver.tds.TDSRPCParameter.initializeUserParam(Unknown Source)
	at com.microsoft.jdbc.sqlserver.SQLServerImplStatement.addUserParametersToRPC(Unknown Source)
	at com.microsoft.jdbc.sqlserver.SQLServerImplStatement.execute(Unknown Source)
	at com.microsoft.jdbc.base.BaseStatement.commonExecute(Unknown Source)
	at com.microsoft.jdbc.base.BaseStatement.executeUpdateInternal(Unknown Source)
	at com.microsoft.jdbc.base.BasePreparedStatement.executeUpdate(Unknown Source)
	at org.apache.commons.dbcp.DelegatingPreparedStatement.executeUpdate(DelegatingPreparedStatement.java:102)
	at org.springframework.jdbc.core.JdbcTemplate$2.doInPreparedStatement(JdbcTemplate.java:798)
	at org.springframework.jdbc.core.JdbcTemplate.execute(JdbcTemplate.java:591)
	at org.springframework.jdbc.core.JdbcTemplate.update(JdbcTemplate.java:792)
	at org.springframework.jdbc.core.JdbcTemplate.update(JdbcTemplate.java:850)
	at org.springframework.batch.core.repository.dao.JdbcExecutionContextDao.persistSerializedContext(JdbcExecutionContextDao.java:175)
	at org.springframework.batch.core.repository.dao.JdbcExecutionContextDao.saveExecutionContext(JdbcExecutionContextDao.java:132)
	at org.springframework.batch.core.repository.support.SimpleJobRepository.createJobExecution(SimpleJobRepository.java:138)
	at sun.reflect.NativeMethodAccessorImpl.invoke0(Native Method)
	at sun.reflect.NativeMethodAccessorImpl.invoke(NativeMethodAccessorImpl.java:39)

[Dave Syer]

The error is pretty deep in com.microsoft code. Have you tried the jtds drivers? We don't test SQL Server very thoroughly, but when we do we use those drivers not the Microsoft ones.

[klausg]

You are using the driver for Sqlserver 2000, which uses a preparestatement that doesn't handle null values.
Try to use the 2005 driver instead, sqljdbc.jar

Since both the 2000, and 2005 driver can handle urls starting with "jdbc:sqlserver" you have to be careful if you have both drivers in your classpath, as the DriverManager will pick the driver that registered itself first.