What does HRESULT 0x80040E02 (DB_E_READONLYACCESSOR) mean?

 
Previous Next
DB_E_ROWLIMITEXCEEDED DB_E_SCHEMAVIOLATION

DB_E_READONLYACCESSOR

Accessor is read-only. Operation failed

Exact value and interpretation

DB_E_READONLYACCESSOR has the unsigned 32-bit value 2147749378 (0x80040E02) and the signed representation -2147217918. AllStat defines the result as “Accessor is read-only. Operation failed”. In the concrete failure represented here, a write-oriented OLE DB operation is attempted with an accessor the provider treats as read-only.

The high bit is set for DB_E_READONLYACCESSOR, so it is a failure HRESULT rather than a success or informational status. Its facility field is 4 (FACILITY_ITF) and its low code is 3586 (0x0E02). Those bit fields place DB_E_READONLYACCESSOR in an interface-defined family, but they do not reveal the provider, object identity, method, rowset generation or command state that produced it.

Specific conditions that produce this result

  • Cause 1 for DB_E_READONLYACCESSOR: the accessor was created for retrieving row data and then reused for SetData.
  • Cause 2 for DB_E_READONLYACCESSOR: one or more bindings refer to columns that cannot be written through this rowset.
  • Cause 3 for DB_E_READONLYACCESSOR: the provider exposes a read-only storage object through the accessor.

OLE DB contract boundary

DB_E_READONLYACCESSOR must be interpreted against this contract: OLE DB accessors describe how columns or parameters map to a consumer buffer; an HACCESSOR is object-scoped, reference-counted and inseparable from its DBBINDING layout, bound parts, data types, offsets and ownership rules.

Start with the command or rowset that created the accessor and the consumer buffer passed to the failing method when investigating DB_E_READONLYACCESSOR. Preserve DB_E_READONLYACCESSOR before ADO, ATL, .NET, a database abstraction layer or an application exception replaces it with a generic message; the exact interface and method matter because one OLE DB object can expose several contracts with different preconditions.

Diagnostic sequence

  1. Capture DB_E_READONLYACCESSOR immediately at the native OLE DB return and obtain the current OLE DB error object before another COM call replaces thread error information.
  2. Identify the exact stage for DB_E_READONLYACCESSOR: a write-oriented OLE DB operation is attempted with an accessor the provider treats as read-only.
  3. For DB_E_READONLYACCESSOR, compare the live command, rowset, accessor or schema state with the metadata and properties actually granted by the provider.
  4. For DB_E_READONLYACCESSOR, inspect per-binding, per-property, per-row or per-record statuses whenever the method supplies them; the aggregate result may not identify the rejected element.
  5. For DB_E_READONLYACCESSOR, reproduce the issue with the smallest command, rowset or definition operation that preserves the same contract boundary.
  6. For DB_E_READONLYACCESSOR, apply one evidence-backed correction, then verify that the operation succeeds and does not merely change into a nearby HRESULT.

Evidence to collect before changing the system

A useful DB_E_READONLYACCESSOR record includes provider CLSID and version, process architecture, interface and method, COM apartment and thread, object correlation ID, transaction state, and the first preceding HRESULT. When DB_E_READONLYACCESSOR involves parameter values, row contents, connection-specific identifiers and long-data buffers, record types, lengths, hashes or redacted identifiers instead of secrets or full business data.

  • Evidence 1 for DB_E_READONLYACCESSOR: the accessor flags, bindings and method that attempted the write.
  • Evidence 2 for DB_E_READONLYACCESSOR: column metadata showing writability and update permissions.
  • Evidence 3 for DB_E_READONLYACCESSOR: per-binding DBSTATUS values or provider error records from the failed operation.

Corrective actions

  • Action 1 for DB_E_READONLYACCESSOR: create a separate accessor whose bindings match the write operation.
  • Action 2 for DB_E_READONLYACCESSOR: exclude computed, bookmark or otherwise non-updatable columns from write bindings.
  • Action 3 for DB_E_READONLYACCESSOR: use a writable rowset or command path when the current object is intentionally read-only.

Practical incident

A consumer reuses its display accessor for IRowsetChange::SetData and includes a computed column; building an update-specific accessor avoids DB_E_READONLYACCESSOR. The diagnostic value comes from retaining DB_E_READONLYACCESSOR together with the failing interface and object state, not from reducing every provider result to “database error”.

Retry and recovery policy

Retry rule for DB_E_READONLYACCESSOR: retry after replacing the accessor or target rowset with a write-capable one; changing only the data values does not alter accessor mutability. A safe DB_E_READONLYACCESSOR retry must use a changed input, object generation, provider capability or state transition. If the call returning DB_E_READONLYACCESSOR could have created, updated, deleted or copied data, determine partial completion before replaying it.

For DB_E_READONLYACCESSOR, use bounded retries and preserve cancellation. For DB_E_READONLYACCESSOR, configuration and contract failures should normally fail fast; concurrency, resource or transient state failures may justify retry only after their stated precondition changes.

Difference from related HRESULT values

DB_E_WRITEONLYACCESSOR concerns reading through a write-only accessor, while DB_E_READONLYACCESSOR concerns an attempted write through a read-only accessor. Keep these outcomes separate in telemetry and user-facing remediation because DB_E_READONLYACCESSOR requires a different next action.

Implementation guidance

Code handling DB_E_READONLYACCESSOR should release OLE DB resources in ownership order, preserve every provider error record, and log granted properties rather than only requested properties. When handling DB_E_READONLYACCESSOR, handles such as HACCESSOR, HROW, HCHAPTER and provider-specific region tokens must never be treated as portable integers across object lifetimes.

When DB_E_READONLYACCESSOR crosses an abstraction boundary, attach a stable correlation ID and structured fields for the native HRESULT, provider source, interface IID, method, object generation and operation phase. For DB_E_READONLYACCESSOR, do not log passwords, access tokens, complete SQL text or unrestricted row values merely to make the event easier to search.

Official Microsoft references

Looking for a different code? Search another status or error code.