What does HRESULT 0x80040E25 (DB_E_ROWSNOTRELEASED) mean?

 
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DB_E_CANTFETCHBACKWARDS DB_E_BADSTORAGEFLAG

DB_E_ROWSNOTRELEASED

Row handles must all be released before new ones can be obtained

Exact value and interpretation

DB_E_ROWSNOTRELEASED has the unsigned 32-bit value 2147749413 (0x80040E25) and the signed representation -2147217883. AllStat defines the result as “Row handles must all be released before new ones can be obtained”. In the concrete failure represented here, a fetch operation cannot obtain more rows until previously returned row handles are released.

The high bit is set for DB_E_ROWSNOTRELEASED, 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 3621 (0x0E25). Those bit fields place DB_E_ROWSNOTRELEASED 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_ROWSNOTRELEASED: the provider reports DBPROP_CANHOLDROWS as false.
  • Cause 2 for DB_E_ROWSNOTRELEASED: the consumer retained HROW values after copying their data.
  • Cause 3 for DB_E_ROWSNOTRELEASED: an exception or cancellation path skipped ReleaseRows.

OLE DB contract boundary

DB_E_ROWSNOTRELEASED must be interpreted against this contract: OLE DB rowsets own HROW values, fetch position, granted properties and visibility rules; row handles, bookmarks, update state and navigation capabilities remain valid only under the lifetime and generation that produced them.

Start with the current rowset instance, its granted properties and the exact row or position token used by the consumer when investigating DB_E_ROWSNOTRELEASED. Preserve DB_E_ROWSNOTRELEASED 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_ROWSNOTRELEASED 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_ROWSNOTRELEASED: a fetch operation cannot obtain more rows until previously returned row handles are released.
  3. For DB_E_ROWSNOTRELEASED, compare the live command, rowset, accessor or schema state with the metadata and properties actually granted by the provider.
  4. For DB_E_ROWSNOTRELEASED, 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_ROWSNOTRELEASED, reproduce the issue with the smallest command, rowset or definition operation that preserves the same contract boundary.
  6. For DB_E_ROWSNOTRELEASED, 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_ROWSNOTRELEASED 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_ROWSNOTRELEASED involves row values, bookmarks, keys and query parameters, record types, lengths, hashes or redacted identifiers instead of secrets or full business data.

  • Evidence 1 for DB_E_ROWSNOTRELEASED: the outstanding HROW count and reference counts.
  • Evidence 2 for DB_E_ROWSNOTRELEASED: the rowset's can-hold-rows property.
  • Evidence 3 for DB_E_ROWSNOTRELEASED: fetch and ReleaseRows correlation IDs.

Corrective actions

  • Action 1 for DB_E_ROWSNOTRELEASED: release each fetched batch before requesting the next one.
  • Action 2 for DB_E_ROWSNOTRELEASED: copy required data out of provider buffers before releasing rows.
  • Action 3 for DB_E_ROWSNOTRELEASED: use deterministic cleanup for partial fetch and error paths.

Practical incident

A scanner reads data into application objects but keeps every HROW in a vector; releasing each batch lets GetNextRows continue without DB_E_ROWSNOTRELEASED. The diagnostic value comes from retaining DB_E_ROWSNOTRELEASED 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_ROWSNOTRELEASED: retry after releasing all rows required by the provider. A safe DB_E_ROWSNOTRELEASED retry must use a changed input, object generation, provider capability or state transition. If the call returning DB_E_ROWSNOTRELEASED could have created, updated, deleted or copied data, determine partial completion before replaying it.

For DB_E_ROWSNOTRELEASED, use bounded retries and preserve cancellation. For DB_E_ROWSNOTRELEASED, 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_ROWLIMITEXCEEDED is a provider active-row ceiling reached by insertion, while DB_E_ROWSNOTRELEASED explicitly requires existing handles to be released before another fetch. Keep these outcomes separate in telemetry and user-facing remediation because DB_E_ROWSNOTRELEASED requires a different next action.

Implementation guidance

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

When DB_E_ROWSNOTRELEASED 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_ROWSNOTRELEASED, 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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