Fix SQLite Database Disk Image is Malformed

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“I have been working on an embedded system. My database size is almost 3GB. I have encountered with “Database disk image is malformed” error. After this, I copied the database to the Windows system and executed the same query without any problem. After that, I executed the analyze command with no error, but pragma integrity_check with multiple errors, and received the database disk image is malformed error repeatedly” – A user reported on SQLite forums.

There are many queries submitted on SQLite forums related to database disk images getting malformed. It is one of the most common errors faced by SQLite/SQLite3 users. This error usually appears due to a bug in the SQLite database and hardware failure. Once your databases get damaged, you won’t be able to fix this issue.

Thus, it is crucial to fix the “SQLite database disk image is malformed” error as quickly as possible. This article is created to help you understand how to fix the malformed database disk image error. Moreover, we will also help you understand the significant reasons behind the error so that you can avoid it in the future.

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Reasons for the SQLite Disk Damage is Malformed Error

SQLite is an embedded, self-contained, and highly reliable SQL database engine extensively used by organizations worldwide. Besides, it is an open-source and embedded database software ideal for local or client storage in application software. It helps users store the information and data in a well-organized manner. But SQLite database is an ordinary disk file that allows any process to open and overwrite with junk data and make unnecessary changes. So, this data often gets corrupt due to various reasons, such as:

• Corruption in SQLite files that make the data inaccessible
• When a non-SQLite database file is forcefully opened in SQLite database
• While creating a backup of the database file when the data is already in use
• When the defined limit of database storage increases
• When the SQLite database protection is disabled due to configuration issues
• When the disk drive or flash memory gets corrupt, it also spreads the corruption to the SQLite database resulting in the disk damage is malformed error
• Managing SQLite database improperly affects its functioning and results in errors

Talking about fixing the error, there aren’t many options available. However, you can use the only manual method of SQLite to resolve it. The manual method follows two approaches to fix the error, including:

Export the Database from SQLite

1. Open DB browser for SQLite on your system where you’re facing the error.
2. Run the database check command by clicking the Execute SQL tab.
3. 1.Type PRAGMA integrity check in the given field and click Play. If the database is corrupt, it will display an error. However, if there are no corruption errors, you’ll see the ‘Query executed successfully: PRAGMA integrity_check (took 0ms)’ message on the screen.
4. If you find the ‘SQLite Database Disk Image is malformed’ error, export your database into an SQL file. To export the data, click the File tab followed by Export>>Database to SQL file.
5. The Export SQL dialog box appears on the screen; select the objects you want to export and define the other options.
6. Click Ok to start the process. Once the database is exported, import the database back to the SQLite browser.

Import Data back to SQLite
To import the data back to SQLite browser, follow the below steps:

1. Open the DB browser and go to the File tab.
2. Click Import followed by Database from SQL file.
3. The browser will start importing the data back to SQLite.

This process will repair the SQLite database and might fix the error quickly. If you’re still unable to resolve the error, you’ll need an alternative solution that can fix the error quickly.
Kernel SQLite Database recovery tool is specifically designed to help you repair your corrupt/damaged SQLite database and fix errors like “disk damage is malformed.” It is created with advanced algorithms and technologies that enable you to restore corrupt dB, db3, SQLite SQLite2, and SQLite3 files. It can recover all the database components like tables, indexes, triggers, and views. So, this is considered as one among the best SQLite Database Recovery tools.

The software offers some extensive features to remove errors from your database files. For instance, it is capable of fixing significant errors while recovering UNICODE characters in SQLite databases. Moreover, you’ll get a complete preview of the database after recovering it so that you can avoid saving unnecessary data. The tool is available as a free version that enables you to recover the limited database.

Key Takeaways

Using SQLite is a necessity for most organizations because they rely on it for most of their tasks. And they cannot afford to lose their data due to corruption errors. Therefore, it’s essential to take the necessary steps and follow the best practices to recover SQLite database files when the SQLite database gets corrupt.