What does HRESULT 0x80040E9A (DB_E_OUTOFSPACE) mean?

 
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DB_E_DUPLICATECONSTRAINTID DB_SEC_E_SAFEMODE_DENIED

DB_E_OUTOFSPACE

Object cannot be created at this URL because the server is out of physical storage

Exact value and result class

DB_E_OUTOFSPACE has unsigned value 2147749530 (0x80040E9A) and signed 32-bit value -2147217766. AllStat describes it as “Object cannot be created at this URL because the server is out of physical storage”. In this result, the provider cannot create the URL-addressed object because backing physical storage is exhausted.

The high bit is set, so DB_E_OUTOFSPACE is a failure HRESULT. Its facility is 4 (FACILITY_ITF) and its low code is 3738 (0x0E9A). For DB_E_OUTOFSPACE, 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 this result

  • Cause 1 for DB_E_OUTOFSPACE: the target volume or quota is full.
  • Cause 2 for DB_E_OUTOFSPACE: provider metadata space is exhausted despite free data bytes.
  • Cause 3 for DB_E_OUTOFSPACE: temporary or transaction space cannot accommodate creation.

Contract boundary

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

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

Diagnostic sequence

  1. Capture raw 0x80040E9A and symbolic DB_E_OUTOFSPACE at the native call boundary.
  2. Identify the exact failing stage for DB_E_OUTOFSPACE: the provider cannot create the URL-addressed object because backing physical storage is exhausted.
  3. Retrieve all OLE DB error records for DB_E_OUTOFSPACE 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_OUTOFSPACE.
  5. Reduce the DB_E_OUTOFSPACE operation to the smallest case that preserves the same binder contract.
  6. Apply one evidence-backed correction for DB_E_OUTOFSPACE and verify that the result is not merely replaced by a neighboring HRESULT.

Evidence to collect

A useful DB_E_OUTOFSPACE 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_OUTOFSPACE 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_OUTOFSPACE: free space and quota at the authoritative server.
  • Evidence 2 for DB_E_OUTOFSPACE: requested object size or growth estimate.
  • Evidence 3 for DB_E_OUTOFSPACE: provider-native storage and transaction diagnostics.

Corrective actions

  • Action 1 for DB_E_OUTOFSPACE: free or expand the correct storage pool.
  • Action 2 for DB_E_OUTOFSPACE: enforce quotas and capacity alerts before creation.
  • Action 3 for DB_E_OUTOFSPACE: clean abandoned temporary objects only through supported management paths.

Practical scenario

A repository has free client disk but its server quota is exhausted; increasing the server allocation resolves DB_E_OUTOFSPACE. Keeping DB_E_OUTOFSPACE with the method and object state makes this scenario diagnosable instead of reducing it to “database error”.

Retry and recovery

Retry rule for DB_E_OUTOFSPACE: retry after confirmed capacity has been restored. A DB_E_OUTOFSPACE 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_OUTOFSPACE, determine whether rows, schema objects or URL resources were partially created or changed.

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

Difference from nearby HRESULT values

E_OUTOFMEMORY concerns process memory allocation, while DB_E_OUTOFSPACE concerns provider backing storage for the resource. Telemetry and remediation for DB_E_OUTOFSPACE should keep these outcomes distinct.

Developer and operations guidance

Code handling DB_E_OUTOFSPACE 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_OUTOFSPACE, 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_OUTOFSPACE should group by provider version, interface, method and normalized failure stage. A DB_E_OUTOFSPACE event must not expose passwords, tokens, full connection strings, unrestricted command text or raw row contents.

Official Microsoft references

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