What does HRESULT 0x80040E03 (DB_E_SCHEMAVIOLATION) mean?

 
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DB_E_READONLYACCESSOR DB_E_BADROWHANDLE

DB_E_SCHEMAVIOLATION

Values violate the database schema

Exact value and interpretation

DB_E_SCHEMAVIOLATION has the unsigned 32-bit value 2147749379 (0x80040E03) and the signed representation -2147217917. AllStat defines the result as “Values violate the database schema”. In the concrete failure represented here, a row insert, update or definition operation supplies values that violate the data source schema.

The high bit is set for DB_E_SCHEMAVIOLATION, 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 3587 (0x0E03). Those bit fields place DB_E_SCHEMAVIOLATION in an interface-defined family, but they do not reveal the provider, object identity, method, rowset generation or command state that produced it.

OLE DB contract boundary

DB_E_SCHEMAVIOLATION must be interpreted against this contract: OLE DB schema contracts combine DBIDs, provider type metadata, column attributes, constraints and locale rules; current provider metadata is authoritative; cached ordinals or type assumptions can become invalid after a schema or command change.

Start with the table, column, parameter or schema object named by the failing definition or data operation when investigating DB_E_SCHEMAVIOLATION. Preserve DB_E_SCHEMAVIOLATION 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_SCHEMAVIOLATION 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_SCHEMAVIOLATION: a row insert, update or definition operation supplies values that violate the data source schema.
  3. For DB_E_SCHEMAVIOLATION, compare the live command, rowset, accessor or schema state with the metadata and properties actually granted by the provider.
  4. For DB_E_SCHEMAVIOLATION, 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_SCHEMAVIOLATION, reproduce the issue with the smallest command, rowset or definition operation that preserves the same contract boundary.
  6. For DB_E_SCHEMAVIOLATION, apply one evidence-backed correction, then verify that the operation succeeds and does not merely change into a nearby HRESULT.

Specific conditions that produce this result

  • Cause 1 for DB_E_SCHEMAVIOLATION: a required column is omitted or receives NULL.
  • Cause 2 for DB_E_SCHEMAVIOLATION: a value exceeds a declared length, domain or check restriction.
  • Cause 3 for DB_E_SCHEMAVIOLATION: the submitted column set conflicts with provider-specific schema rules not represented by the consumer model.

Evidence to collect before changing the system

A useful DB_E_SCHEMAVIOLATION 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_SCHEMAVIOLATION involves table names, column values, keys, constraints and provider-specific type declarations, record types, lengths, hashes or redacted identifiers instead of secrets or full business data.

  • Evidence 1 for DB_E_SCHEMAVIOLATION: the table and column identifiers involved in the operation.
  • Evidence 2 for DB_E_SCHEMAVIOLATION: column metadata for nullability, length, type and default values.
  • Evidence 3 for DB_E_SCHEMAVIOLATION: OLE DB error records and per-column status values identifying the violated rule.

Corrective actions

  • Action 1 for DB_E_SCHEMAVIOLATION: refresh schema metadata before constructing bindings and values.
  • Action 2 for DB_E_SCHEMAVIOLATION: validate required fields and domain restrictions before sending the row.
  • Action 3 for DB_E_SCHEMAVIOLATION: preserve provider diagnostics so the exact schema rule can be corrected instead of guessing.

Retry and recovery policy

Retry rule for DB_E_SCHEMAVIOLATION: retry only after the submitted values or schema have changed to satisfy the reported rule. A safe DB_E_SCHEMAVIOLATION retry must use a changed input, object generation, provider capability or state transition. If the call returning DB_E_SCHEMAVIOLATION could have created, updated, deleted or copied data, determine partial completion before replaying it.

For DB_E_SCHEMAVIOLATION, use bounded retries and preserve cancellation. For DB_E_SCHEMAVIOLATION, 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_INTEGRITYVIOLATION focuses on an integrity constraint for a column or table, while DB_E_SCHEMAVIOLATION is the broader mismatch with the data source schema. Keep these outcomes separate in telemetry and user-facing remediation because DB_E_SCHEMAVIOLATION requires a different next action.

Practical incident

A deployment adds a NOT NULL column but an older client continues inserting the previous column set; refreshing metadata and supplying the new field resolves DB_E_SCHEMAVIOLATION. The diagnostic value comes from retaining DB_E_SCHEMAVIOLATION together with the failing interface and object state, not from reducing every provider result to “database error”.

Implementation guidance

Code handling DB_E_SCHEMAVIOLATION 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_SCHEMAVIOLATION, handles such as HACCESSOR, HROW, HCHAPTER and provider-specific region tokens must never be treated as portable integers across object lifetimes.

When DB_E_SCHEMAVIOLATION 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_SCHEMAVIOLATION, do not log passwords, access tokens, complete SQL text or unrestricted row values merely to make the event easier to search.

Official Microsoft references

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