“Outlook is trying to retrieve data from Microsoft Exchange….”

As a Exchange administrator, I get to dodge this particular Outlook RPC-dialog pop-up issues for users. Sure enough, everyone must have seen the following dialog box at some point of time.

Outlook is trying to retrieve data from
the Microsoft Exchange Server <servername>.

Let see the following excerpt from this MSKB 892764

You receive this message as part of the standard inter-operation of Outlook and Exchange. Even on the fastest network that has the best hardware and architecture, some remote procedure calls will take more than five seconds to obtain a response. This is a simple fact, and the appropriate expectations should be set with users. If the message appears only occasionally, no extensive troubleshooting is required. Trying to troubleshoot when the message appears only occasionally is not likely to be productive.

So, it’s not completely avoidable. It’s a way of life for Exchange server and it’s Outlook clients.

At one point of time, an administrative assistant complained she consistently gets Outlook RPC dialog when she is accessing her boss’s calendar to manage. It turn out to be the calendar she is accessing has 11000 appointment items AND that is a real issue according to Microsoft. Check this MSKB 905803 below.

Outlook users experience poor performance when they work with a folder that contains many items on a server that is running Exchange Server

Other usual causes are Remote Public folders, Huge Mailbox, Outdated Network card driver, Slow access to Global Catalog and Corrupted OST file.

Check out the following URLs also:

How to troubleshoot the RPC Cancel Request dialog box in Outlook 2003 or in Outlook 2002

‘Requesting data from the Exchange server…’ or ‘Outlook is trying to retrieve data…’ client messages

Check my latest blog about troubleshooting this issue: http://anandpv.spaces.live.com/blog/cns!AFCCA5892B178862!657.entry

Good Luck.

7 thoughts on ““Outlook is trying to retrieve data from Microsoft Exchange….””

thanks for the explanations

Just explanations, no troubleshoot and stiil confused.

What do you mean just explanations? I explained how Outlook behaves if you have more than 4000 items in any folder. Other usual causes are Remote Public folders, Huge Mailbox, Outdated Network card driver, Slow access to Global Catalog and Corrupted OST file.

I had the same error message but it turned out there was an issue with my Outlook Rules. One of my Rules was not properly routing emails from a specific source. Anytime, I received an email from that source I would get that error message.