What does HRESULT 0x00040ED2 (DB_S_ERRORSRETURNED) mean?

DB_S_ERRORSRETURNED

OLE DB method returned a detail error array

DB_S_ERRORSRETURNED is HRESULT 265938 (0x00040ED2) from Microsoft OLE DB. AllStat describes DB_S_ERRORSRETURNED as “Method had some errors, which were returned in the error array.” The high-order severity bit is clear, so this is a success result, but it carries more information than plain S_OK.

The method completed with one or more conditions described in an accompanying error or status array.

Evidence and telemetry to preserve

• For DB_S_ERRORSRETURNED, preserve overall HRESULT.
• For DB_S_ERRORSRETURNED, preserve array length and each element status.
• For DB_S_ERRORSRETURNED, preserve associated ordinal or property ID.
• For DB_S_ERRORSRETURNED, preserve provider error records.
• For DB_S_ERRORSRETURNED, preserve partial outputs retained by the method.

Also record db_s_errorsreturned_operation, db_s_errorsreturned_object, db_s_errorsreturned_state_before, db_s_errorsreturned_state_after, UTC time, process and thread identifiers, and a correlation ID. For DB_S_ERRORSRETURNED, keep secrets out of logs while retaining GUIDs, CLSIDs, media subtypes, property IDs, row identities, and hashes needed to distinguish objects.

Where this result is encountered

• DB_S_ERRORSRETURNED can appear in multi-item schema or property operations; record the producing interface and method rather than inferring behavior from the symbolic name alone.
• DB_S_ERRORSRETURNED can appear in batch conversions; record the producing interface and method rather than inferring behavior from the symbolic name alone.
• DB_S_ERRORSRETURNED can appear in methods that return per-element status alongside an overall HRESULT; record the producing interface and method rather than inferring behavior from the symbolic name alone.

For DB_S_ERRORSRETURNED, the same numeric success value can be mishandled when a wrapper exposes only a Boolean. For DB_S_ERRORSRETURNED, keep the original HRESULT until the code-specific outputs and state transition have been evaluated.

State boundary that must be proved

The central question for DB_S_ERRORSRETURNED is whether every element status is inspected before the caller decides which outputs are valid. For DB_S_ERRORSRETURNED, the HRESULT alone confirms neither unrelated work nor the quality of optional outputs.

A reliable interpretation of DB_S_ERRORSRETURNED names the exact method contract, the object generation, and the outputs that remain valid. For DB_S_ERRORSRETURNED, this prevents a success-with-information result from being promoted to full success or demoted to a generic error.

Diagnostic sequence

• For DB_S_ERRORSRETURNED, capture the raw HRESULT 0x00040ED2 immediately after the returning method and record whether the caller used SUCCEEDED, FAILED, equality testing, or exception translation.
• Identify the exact owner of DB_S_ERRORSRETURNED: interface, method, object instance, provider or filter version, thread or apartment, and operation phase.
• Validate the decisive contract boundary for DB_S_ERRORSRETURNED: every element status is inspected before the caller decides which outputs are valid.
• For DB_S_ERRORSRETURNED, inspect every output parameter, count, status array, returned interface, or side effect that the method documentation associates with this success-with-information result.
• Compare the observed state before and after DB_S_ERRORSRETURNED; do not assume that a success severity bit means every optional sub-operation completed.
• For DB_S_ERRORSRETURNED, reproduce the smallest request with the same object state and then change only the condition identified by the evidence before repeating the operation.

Difference from nearby HRESULT values

DB_S_ERRORSOCCURRED is the common multiple-step success-with-information code; DB_S_ERRORSRETURNED specifically indicates returned error-array details.

For DB_S_ERRORSRETURNED, this distinction determines whether the caller should consume partial outputs, stop iteration, wait, reconfigure, notify the user, or perform no error recovery at all.

Correct handling, retry, and recovery

Process successful elements and repair failed ones according to the method contract. Never ignore the detail array because the overall HRESULT has success severity.

Retry DB_S_ERRORSRETURNED only when the recorded state can change the documented outcome. For DB_S_ERRORSRETURNED, repeating the same call is inappropriate for a stable end marker, cancellation, unsupported format, adjusted property, or partial result whose completed side effects have not been reconciled.

Practical validation scenario

A metadata request covers twenty objects and returns details for three unsupported items. The tool records each item status, uses the seventeen valid results, and does not label the entire request fully successful.

The negative test should preserve the condition that produces DB_S_ERRORSRETURNED; the recovery test should alter only that condition and verify the final state as well as the HRESULT.

Developer and administrator guidance

When DB_S_ERRORSRETURNED crosses process, RPC, scripting, or managed-code boundaries, preserve the unsigned 32-bit value and symbolic name. For DB_S_ERRORSRETURNED, a signed decimal rendering can obscure that the severity bit indicates success and can lead to incorrect exception or retry behavior.

A support report for DB_S_ERRORSRETURNED should include decimal 265938, hexadecimal 0x00040ED2, the AllStat meaning, the owning API, and the first detailed status or output that explains why the method did not return ordinary S_OK.

References

• Microsoft: OLE DB return codes — official documentation relevant to DB_S_ERRORSRETURNED.
• Microsoft: OLE DB Driver return codes — official documentation relevant to DB_S_ERRORSRETURNED.
• Microsoft: OLE DB error records — official documentation relevant to DB_S_ERRORSRETURNED.

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