What does HRESULT 0x80040E35 (DB_E_NOINDEX) mean?

 
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DB_E_DUPLICATEINDEXID DB_E_INDEXINUSE

DB_E_NOINDEX

Index does not exist

Exact value and interpretation

DB_E_NOINDEX has the unsigned 32-bit value 2147749429 (0x80040E35) and the signed representation -2147217867. AllStat defines the result as “Index does not exist”. In the concrete failure represented here, an index operation names an index that does not exist in the active table or data source scope.

The high bit is set for DB_E_NOINDEX, 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 3637 (0x0E35). Those bit fields place DB_E_NOINDEX 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_NOINDEX must be interpreted against this contract: OLE DB data-definition interfaces operate on provider-scoped table and index DBIDs; existence, identifier validity and active use are separate outcomes, and schema changes must account for open rowsets and transactions.

Start with the session performing the definition operation and the table or index identity resolved by that session when investigating DB_E_NOINDEX. Preserve DB_E_NOINDEX 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_NOINDEX 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_NOINDEX: an index operation names an index that does not exist in the active table or data source scope.
  3. For DB_E_NOINDEX, compare the live command, rowset, accessor or schema state with the metadata and properties actually granted by the provider.
  4. For DB_E_NOINDEX, 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_NOINDEX, reproduce the issue with the smallest command, rowset or definition operation that preserves the same contract boundary.
  6. For DB_E_NOINDEX, 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_NOINDEX: the index was dropped or renamed.
  • Cause 2 for DB_E_NOINDEX: the caller uses an index DBID from another catalog or table.
  • Cause 3 for DB_E_NOINDEX: case and identifier rules produce a different resolved name.

Evidence to collect before changing the system

A useful DB_E_NOINDEX 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_NOINDEX involves catalog names, schema names, object identifiers and deployment metadata, record types, lengths, hashes or redacted identifiers instead of secrets or full business data.

  • Evidence 1 for DB_E_NOINDEX: the requested index DBID and table DBID.
  • Evidence 2 for DB_E_NOINDEX: current index metadata from the same session and catalog.
  • Evidence 3 for DB_E_NOINDEX: schema-change events preceding the operation.

Corrective actions

  • Action 1 for DB_E_NOINDEX: refresh index metadata before drop or open operations.
  • Action 2 for DB_E_NOINDEX: qualify the correct table and catalog scope.
  • Action 3 for DB_E_NOINDEX: make drop operations idempotent when absence is acceptable.

Retry and recovery policy

Retry rule for DB_E_NOINDEX: retry after correcting the identifier or creating the required index. A safe DB_E_NOINDEX retry must use a changed input, object generation, provider capability or state transition. If the call returning DB_E_NOINDEX could have created, updated, deleted or copied data, determine partial completion before replaying it.

For DB_E_NOINDEX, use bounded retries and preserve cancellation. For DB_E_NOINDEX, 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_BADINDEXID means the identifier form is invalid, while DB_E_NOINDEX means the identifier is valid in form but no such index exists. Keep these outcomes separate in telemetry and user-facing remediation because DB_E_NOINDEX requires a different next action.

Practical incident

A maintenance task opens an index by an old name after a migration renamed it; resolving current metadata prevents DB_E_NOINDEX. The diagnostic value comes from retaining DB_E_NOINDEX together with the failing interface and object state, not from reducing every provider result to “database error”.

Implementation guidance

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

When DB_E_NOINDEX 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_NOINDEX, 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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