What does HRESULT 0x8004167A (QPARSE_E_INVALID_QUERY) mean?

 
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QPARSE_E_INVALID_QUERY

The parser rejects the overall expression

QPARSE_E_INVALID_QUERY is HRESULT 0x8004167A. Windows documents it as “Invalid query.”

Interpretation

This result belongs to legacy Windows query parsing and is returned while building the final query tree without a narrower token-specific diagnosis. The exact condition is: fragment composition, dialect mismatch, escaping or parser limitations produce a generic invalid query.

Concrete sources

Observability checklist

  • Associate final parser input with the exact UTC timestamp and correlation identifier.
  • Compare failing and known-good values for dialect under the same provider or handler version.
  • Record the source and normalization path of last accepted token, not only its display form.
  • Record smallest failing fragment before releasing the relevant objects.
  • Associate final parser input bytes with the exact UTC timestamp and correlation identifier.

Investigation order

  1. Capture final parser input and dialect at the call boundary that returns this result.
  2. Confirm the operation reached building the final query tree without a narrower token-specific diagnosis with the intended last accepted token.
  3. capture exact final parser input, dialect, last accepted token and smallest failing fragment.

Corrective action

Change the expression or parser mode; preserve a minimal reproducer when documented syntax still fails. Retrying identical parser bytes cannot succeed; regenerate the specific token or schema pairing that failed.

What must not be inferred

Neighboring status codes

QUERY_E_INVALIDQUERY is higher-level call validation, while this value is parser-specific.

Developer and administrator guidance

Reproduction example

An escaping layer duplicates a quote after the AST is logged. Capturing final parser text identifies the real stage.

Official Microsoft references


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