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DB_E_INTEGRITYVIOLATION
Exact value and interpretation
DB_E_INTEGRITYVIOLATION has the unsigned 32-bit value 2147749423 (0x80040E2F) and the signed representation -2147217873. AllStat defines the result as “Value violated the integrity constraints for a column or table”. In the concrete failure represented here, an inserted or updated value violates an integrity constraint on a column or table.
The high bit is set for it, 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 3631 (0x0E2F). Those bit fields place this result 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 the result
- Cause 1 for it: a unique or primary-key value duplicates an existing row.
- Cause 2 for it: a foreign-key value has no referenced parent.
- Cause 3 for it: a check constraint or required relationship rejects the new state.
OLE DB contract boundary
This result 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 this result. Preserve it 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
- Capture it immediately at the native OLE DB return and obtain the current OLE DB error object before another COM call replaces thread error information.
- Identify the exact stage for it: an inserted or updated value violates an integrity constraint on a column or table.
- compare the live command, rowset, accessor or schema state with the metadata and properties actually granted by the provider.
- 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.
- reproduce the issue with the smallest command, rowset or definition operation that preserves the same contract boundary.
- 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 it 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 it 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 it: the table, column and constraint identifiers from provider diagnostics.
- Evidence 2 for it: the key or relationship values in redacted form.
- Evidence 3 for it: transaction state and competing writes that may have changed the constraint outcome.
Corrective actions
- Action 1 for it: correct the data or operation ordering to satisfy the constraint.
- Action 2 for it: handle duplicate and referential failures as distinct business outcomes.
- Action 3 for it: retry concurrency-sensitive writes only after rereading the governing rows.
Practical incident
Two workers insert the same natural key after both pass an application-side existence check; handling the unique constraint result prevents blind retries of it. The diagnostic value comes from retaining it together with the failing interface and object state, not from reducing every provider result to “database error”.
Retry and recovery policy
Retry rule for it: retry only after the constrained values or referenced data change. A safe it retry must use a changed input, object generation, provider capability or state transition. If the call returning it could have created, updated, deleted or copied data, determine partial completion before replaying it.
Use bounded retries and preserve cancellation. 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_SCHEMAVIOLATION is a broader schema mismatch, while it specifically identifies a column or table integrity constraint. Keep these outcomes separate in telemetry and user-facing remediation because it requires a different next action.
Implementation guidance
Code handling it should release OLE DB resources in ownership order, preserve every provider error record, and log granted properties rather than only requested properties. When handling it, handles such as HACCESSOR, HROW, HCHAPTER and provider-specific region tokens must never be treated as portable integers across object lifetimes.
When it 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. 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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