What does HRESULT 0x80040E91 (DB_E_NOSOURCEOBJECT) mean?

 
Previous Next
DB_E_DROPRESTRICTED DB_E_RESOURCELOCKED

DB_E_NOSOURCEOBJECT

Source row does not exist

Exact value and result class

DB_E_NOSOURCEOBJECT has unsigned value 2147749521 (0x80040E91) and signed 32-bit value -2147217775. AllStat describes it as “Source row does not exist”. In this result, a scoped copy, move or related resource operation cannot find the source row named by the source URL.

The high bit is set, so DB_E_NOSOURCEOBJECT is a failure HRESULT. Its facility is 4 (FACILITY_ITF) and its low code is 3729 (0x0E91). For DB_E_NOSOURCEOBJECT, these fields identify an interface-defined result family; they do not identify the provider instance, method, object generation or partial effects.

Contract boundary

For DB_E_NOSOURCEOBJECT, the OLE DB binder model maps URLs to row, rowset, stream or collection objects. For DB_E_NOSOURCEOBJECT, URL scope, requested object type, bind flags, asynchronous capability, locks and server reachability are independent parts of the binding contract.

Investigation of DB_E_NOSOURCEOBJECT should start with the binder or session, normalized URL, requested GUID/object type and DBBINDURLSTATUS result. Capture DB_E_NOSOURCEOBJECT before ADO, ATL, .NET or a database abstraction layer replaces the native HRESULT with a generic exception.

Diagnostic sequence

  1. Capture raw 0x80040E91 and symbolic DB_E_NOSOURCEOBJECT at the native call boundary.
  2. Identify the exact failing stage for DB_E_NOSOURCEOBJECT: a scoped copy, move or related resource operation cannot find the source row named by the source URL.
  3. Retrieve all OLE DB error records for DB_E_NOSOURCEOBJECT before another COM call replaces thread error information.
  4. Compare the live object state and provider-granted capabilities with the input that produced DB_E_NOSOURCEOBJECT.
  5. Reduce the DB_E_NOSOURCEOBJECT operation to the smallest case that preserves the same binder contract.
  6. Apply one evidence-backed correction for DB_E_NOSOURCEOBJECT and verify that the result is not merely replaced by a neighboring HRESULT.

Conditions that specifically lead to this result

  • Cause 1 for DB_E_NOSOURCEOBJECT: the source was deleted or renamed.
  • Cause 2 for DB_E_NOSOURCEOBJECT: the URL resolves in a different scope than expected.
  • Cause 3 for DB_E_NOSOURCEOBJECT: a concurrent operation moved the source first.

Evidence to collect

A useful DB_E_NOSOURCEOBJECT event records provider CLSID and version, process architecture, interface IID and method, object correlation ID, transaction state and the immediately preceding HRESULT. When recording DB_E_NOSOURCEOBJECT data involving URLs containing credentials, tenant paths and remote object names, use types, lengths, hashes or redacted identifiers rather than secrets or complete business data.

  • Evidence 1 for DB_E_NOSOURCEOBJECT: normalized source URL and scope.
  • Evidence 2 for DB_E_NOSOURCEOBJECT: existence check immediately before the operation.
  • Evidence 3 for DB_E_NOSOURCEOBJECT: concurrent move or delete correlation IDs.

Corrective actions

  • Action 1 for DB_E_NOSOURCEOBJECT: refresh the source identity before mutation.
  • Action 2 for DB_E_NOSOURCEOBJECT: make copy or move workflows resilient to concurrent disappearance.
  • Action 3 for DB_E_NOSOURCEOBJECT: treat absence as a distinct idempotency outcome where appropriate.

Retry and recovery

Retry rule for DB_E_NOSOURCEOBJECT: retry only after the source row exists again or a new valid source is selected. A DB_E_NOSOURCEOBJECT retry is safe only when the relevant input, object generation, capability or external state has changed. Before replaying a modifying call that returned DB_E_NOSOURCEOBJECT, determine whether rows, schema objects or URL resources were partially created or changed.

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

Difference from nearby HRESULT values

DB_E_NOTFOUND is a broad absence result, while DB_E_NOSOURCEOBJECT specifically identifies the source row of a resource operation. Telemetry and remediation for DB_E_NOSOURCEOBJECT should keep these outcomes distinct.

Practical scenario

Two workers move the same resource; the second observes that the source row no longer exists and records an idempotent completion. Keeping DB_E_NOSOURCEOBJECT with the method and object state makes this scenario diagnosable instead of reducing it to “database error”.

Developer and operations guidance

Code handling DB_E_NOSOURCEOBJECT 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 DB_E_NOSOURCEOBJECT, opaque values such as HACCESSOR, HROW, HCHAPTER, DBID components and provider handles must remain scoped to the object that issued them.

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

Official Microsoft references

Looking for a different code? Search another status or error code.