What does HRESULT 0x80040E90 (DB_E_DROPRESTRICTED) mean?

 
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DB_E_DROPRESTRICTED

Exact value and result class

DB_E_DROPRESTRICTED has unsigned value 2147749520 (0x80040E90) and signed 32-bit value -2147217776. AllStat describes it as “Column or constraint could not be dropped because it is referenced by a dependent view or constraint”. In this result, a drop operation targets a column or constraint that still has dependent views or constraints.

The high bit is set, so this result is a failure HRESULT. Its facility is 4 (FACILITY_ITF) and its low code is 3728 (0x0E90). These fields identify an interface-defined result family; they do not identify the provider instance, method, object generation or partial effects.

Conditions that specifically lead to the result

  • Cause 1 for it: a view references the column.
  • Cause 2 for it: a foreign key or check constraint depends on the object.
  • Cause 3 for it: dependency metadata changed after the migration plan was generated.

Contract boundary

OLE DB DDL interfaces identify indexes, commands and constraints with provider-scoped DBIDs. Constraint descriptors also carry type, column arrays, match behavior, deferrability and update/delete rules that must agree as one structure.

Investigation of this result should start with the session performing DDL, target table metadata and the exact DBID or DBCONSTRAINTDESC supplied. Capture it before ADO, ATL,.NET or a database abstraction layer replaces the native HRESULT with a generic exception.

Diagnostic sequence

  1. Capture raw 0x80040E90 and symbolic it at the native call boundary.
  2. Identify the exact failing stage for it: a drop operation targets a column or constraint that still has dependent views or constraints.
  3. Retrieve all OLE DB error records for it before another COM call replaces thread error information.
  4. Compare the live object state and provider-granted capabilities with the input that produced it.
  5. Reduce the operation to the smallest case that preserves the same ddl contract.
  6. Apply one evidence-backed correction for it and verify that the result is not merely replaced by a neighboring HRESULT.

Evidence to collect

A useful it event records provider CLSID and version, process architecture, interface IID and method, object correlation ID, transaction state and the immediately preceding HRESULT. When recording it data involving catalog names, schema names, object identifiers and deployment definitions, use types, lengths, hashes or redacted identifiers rather than secrets or complete business data.

  • Evidence 1 for it: target object DBID.
  • Evidence 2 for it: provider dependency metadata.
  • Evidence 3 for it: ordered list of views and constraints referencing it.

Corrective actions

  • Action 1 for it: drop or alter dependents in a deliberate order.
  • Action 2 for it: refresh dependency metadata immediately before migration.
  • Action 3 for it: wrap compatible DDL in a transaction where supported.

Practical scenario

A migration drops a key column before its foreign key; reversing the dependency order prevents it. Keeping it with the method and object state makes this scenario diagnosable instead of reducing it to “database error”.

Retry and recovery

Retry rule for it: retry after every blocking dependency has been removed or changed. A it retry is safe only when the relevant input, object generation, capability or external state has changed. Before replaying a modifying call that returned it, determine whether rows, schema objects or URL resources were partially created or changed.

Do not turn it into an unbounded retry loop. Preserve cancellation for it and use a fresh provider object when the failed call may have left local state ambiguous.

Difference from nearby HRESULT values

DB_E_ALTERRESTRICTED blocks alteration due to a constraint, while it blocks removal of a referenced object. Telemetry and remediation for it should keep these outcomes distinct.

Developer and operations guidance

Code handling it should release COM objects in ownership order, retain per-row, per-column or per-property statuses, and log granted capabilities rather than only requested options. While handling it, opaque values such as HACCESSOR, HROW, HCHAPTER, DBID components and provider handles must remain scoped to the object that issued them.

Operational dashboards for it should group by provider version, interface, method and normalized failure stage. A it event must not expose passwords, tokens, full connection strings, unrestricted command text or raw row contents.

Official Microsoft references

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