What does HRESULT 0x80040E1D (DB_E_UNSUPPORTEDCONVERSION) mean?

 
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DB_E_GOALREJECTED DB_E_BADSTARTPOSITION

DB_E_UNSUPPORTEDCONVERSION

Requested conversion is not supported

Exact value and interpretation

DB_E_UNSUPPORTEDCONVERSION has the unsigned 32-bit value 2147749405 (0x80040E1D) and the signed representation -2147217891. AllStat defines the result as “Requested conversion is not supported”. In the concrete failure represented here, a consumer requests a source-to-destination OLE DB type conversion that the provider does not support.

The high bit is set for DB_E_UNSUPPORTEDCONVERSION, 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 3613 (0x0E1D). Those bit fields place DB_E_UNSUPPORTEDCONVERSION in an interface-defined family, but they do not reveal the provider, object identity, method, rowset generation or command state that produced it.

Evidence to collect before changing the system

A useful DB_E_UNSUPPORTEDCONVERSION 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_UNSUPPORTEDCONVERSION involves unconverted values, binary payloads, locale-specific text and parameter data, record types, lengths, hashes or redacted identifiers instead of secrets or full business data.

  • Evidence 1 for DB_E_UNSUPPORTEDCONVERSION: the source and destination DBTYPE values.
  • Evidence 2 for DB_E_UNSUPPORTEDCONVERSION: conversion flags, precision, scale and maximum length.
  • Evidence 3 for DB_E_UNSUPPORTEDCONVERSION: the result of IConvertType::CanConvert on the same object.

OLE DB contract boundary

DB_E_UNSUPPORTEDCONVERSION must be interpreted against this contract: OLE DB separates conversion capability from conversion of a particular value; IConvertType reports supported type routes, while bindings additionally carry length, precision, scale, status and storage semantics.

Start with the provider object performing the conversion and the exact source and destination type description when investigating DB_E_UNSUPPORTEDCONVERSION. Preserve DB_E_UNSUPPORTEDCONVERSION 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.

Specific conditions that produce this result

  • Cause 1 for DB_E_UNSUPPORTEDCONVERSION: IConvertType::CanConvert would report the type pair unsupported.
  • Cause 2 for DB_E_UNSUPPORTEDCONVERSION: the requested flags require long-data or command conversion not implemented by the provider.
  • Cause 3 for DB_E_UNSUPPORTEDCONVERSION: a binding assumes an implicit conversion available in another provider.

Diagnostic sequence

  1. Capture DB_E_UNSUPPORTEDCONVERSION 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_UNSUPPORTEDCONVERSION: a consumer requests a source-to-destination OLE DB type conversion that the provider does not support.
  3. For DB_E_UNSUPPORTEDCONVERSION, compare the live command, rowset, accessor or schema state with the metadata and properties actually granted by the provider.
  4. For DB_E_UNSUPPORTEDCONVERSION, 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_UNSUPPORTEDCONVERSION, reproduce the issue with the smallest command, rowset or definition operation that preserves the same contract boundary.
  6. For DB_E_UNSUPPORTEDCONVERSION, apply one evidence-backed correction, then verify that the operation succeeds and does not merely change into a nearby HRESULT.

Corrective actions

  • Action 1 for DB_E_UNSUPPORTEDCONVERSION: bind using a natively supported type pair.
  • Action 2 for DB_E_UNSUPPORTEDCONVERSION: perform the conversion in consumer code with explicit validation.
  • Action 3 for DB_E_UNSUPPORTEDCONVERSION: negotiate a different column or parameter type before creating the accessor.

Practical incident

A consumer binds a provider-specific binary type directly as a timestamp because another provider accepted it; checking CanConvert and converting explicitly prevents DB_E_UNSUPPORTEDCONVERSION. The diagnostic value comes from retaining DB_E_UNSUPPORTEDCONVERSION together with the failing interface and object state, not from reducing every provider result to “database error”.

Implementation guidance

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

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

Retry and recovery policy

Retry rule for DB_E_UNSUPPORTEDCONVERSION: retry only after changing the type pair or moving conversion to a supported layer. A safe DB_E_UNSUPPORTEDCONVERSION retry must use a changed input, object generation, provider capability or state transition. If the call returning DB_E_UNSUPPORTEDCONVERSION could have created, updated, deleted or copied data, determine partial completion before replaying it.

For DB_E_UNSUPPORTEDCONVERSION, use bounded retries and preserve cancellation. For DB_E_UNSUPPORTEDCONVERSION, 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_CANTCONVERTVALUE means a supported conversion failed for a particular value, while DB_E_UNSUPPORTEDCONVERSION means the conversion route itself is not supported. Keep these outcomes separate in telemetry and user-facing remediation because DB_E_UNSUPPORTEDCONVERSION requires a different next action.

Official Microsoft references

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