| Previous | Next |
| DB_E_CONCURRENCYVIOLATION | DB_E_BADPRECISION |
DB_E_BADCOPY
Exact value and interpretation
DB_E_BADCOPY has the unsigned 32-bit value 2147749433 (0x80040E39) and the signed representation -2147217863. AllStat defines the result as “Errors detected during the copy”. In the concrete failure represented here, an OLE DB copy operation completes with one or more copy-specific errors.
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 3641 (0x0E39). 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: one source object cannot be read.
- Cause 2 for it: a destination object rejects metadata or data.
- Cause 3 for it: partial copy work encounters provider-specific failures across multiple items.
OLE DB contract boundary
This result must be interpreted against this contract: OLE DB objects follow both COM lifetime rules and provider-specific state contracts; open dependents, ownership transfer, aggregation, callbacks and namespace identity must be traced from the exact interface call rather than inferred from a wrapper exception.
Start with the COM object that returned the result and every dependent interface or provider-owned resource involved in the call 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 OLE DB copy operation completes with one or more copy-specific errors.
- 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 object URLs, command trees, data source names, caller identities and copied data, record types, lengths, hashes or redacted identifiers instead of secrets or full business data.
- Evidence 1 for it: the source and destination identities.
- Evidence 2 for it: per-item status and all OLE DB error records.
- Evidence 3 for it: which objects were created before the failure.
Corrective actions
- Action 1 for it: inspect individual copy results before deciding rollback.
- Action 2 for it: remove or repair only failed destination objects.
- Action 3 for it: make recovery idempotent when some items may already exist.
Practical incident
A namespace copy creates two child objects and fails on a third because of permissions; recording per-item results enables safe continuation instead of blindly repeating the entire operation after 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 identifying failed items and accounting for any partial destination state. 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_ERRORSOCCURRED is a generic all-elements-failed aggregate, while it specifically describes errors encountered during a copy operation. 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
Looking for a different code? Search another status or error code.