What does HRESULT 0x80040E3D (DB_E_BADTYPE) mean?

 
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DB_E_BADTABLEID DB_E_DUPLICATECOLUMNID

DB_E_BADTYPE

Exact value and interpretation

DB_E_BADTYPE has the unsigned 32-bit value 2147749437 (0x80040E3D) and the signed representation -2147217859. AllStat defines the result as “Type is invalid”. In the concrete failure represented here, an OLE DB structure or binding contains an invalid DBTYPE indicator.

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 3645 (0x0E3D). 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.

OLE DB contract boundary

This result 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 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.

Evidence to collect before changing the system

A useful this result 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 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 it: the raw type indicator and modifier bits.
  • Evidence 2 for it: the binding, column or parameter ordinal using it.
  • Evidence 3 for it: provider metadata from which the type should have been derived.

Specific conditions that produce it

  • Cause 1 for it: the type value is outside the DBTYPE enumeration.
  • Cause 2 for it: modifier bits are combined illegally.
  • Cause 3 for it: a provider-specific native type code is placed where an OLE DB DBTYPE is required.

Diagnostic sequence

  1. 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.
  2. Identify the exact stage for it: an OLE DB structure or binding contains an invalid DBTYPE indicator.
  3. compare the live command, rowset, accessor or schema state with the metadata and properties actually granted by the provider.
  4. 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. reproduce the issue with the smallest command, rowset or definition operation that preserves the same contract boundary.
  6. apply one evidence-backed correction, then verify that the operation succeeds and does not merely change into a nearby HRESULT.

Retry and recovery policy

Retry rule for it: retry after supplying a valid DBTYPE and compatible binding. 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.

Corrective actions

  • Action 1 for it: use DBTYPE values from OLE DB metadata.
  • Action 2 for it: validate modifier combinations such as BYREF, ARRAY and VECTOR.
  • Action 3 for it: keep native provider type names separate from DBTYPE indicators.

Practical incident

A schema adapter places a database engine type number directly into DBBINDING.wType; translating it to the matching DBTYPE removes 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”.

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.

Difference from related HRESULT values

This resultNAME rejects a textual native type name, while it rejects the numeric OLE DB type indicator. Keep these outcomes separate in telemetry and user-facing remediation because it requires a different next action.

Official Microsoft references

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