What does HRESULT 0x8004E02B (CO_E_DBERROR) mean?

 
Previous Next
CO_E_NOCOOKIES CO_E_NOTPOOLED

CO_E_DBERROR

CO_E_DBERROR is the failure HRESULT 0x8004E02B (signed decimal -2147164117, unsigned decimal 2147803179). Its severity bit is 1, facility is 4 (FACILITY_ITF), and the facility-specific code field is 0xE02B.

The outer COM+ result preserves only that the underlying database operation failed

This HRESULT means an attempt to use a database generated a database-specific error. The actionable information is normally in the provider’s native error records, SQL state, server log, or exception chain rather than in this outer COM+ code.

AllStat describes the result as “An attempt to use a database generated a database specific error.” For CO_E_DBERROR, this wording identifies the immediate COM+ condition, while surrounding context and earlier events determine why it was reached.

Contract boundary for CO_E_DBERROR

COM+ identifies the subsystem boundary but does not normalize every provider cause. Authentication, schema, constraints, deadlocks, timeouts, and connectivity can all surface through the same wrapper.

Causes that fit this specific result

  • The database rejects credentials or the COM+ application identity lacks required rights.
  • SQL execution violates schema, constraint, parameter, or transaction rules.
  • A deadlock, lock timeout, connection interruption, or failover occurs during the operation.
  • Initialization or construction uses an invalid provider string, DSN, or database name.

Evidence to preserve before changing the system

  • Preserve provider name, native error number, SQL state, server, database, command identifier, and transaction ID.
  • Redact credentials and parameter values that contain personal or secret data.
  • Correlate database server logs with the COM+ context and application event.
  • Record whether the error happened during activation, construction, method execution, or commit.

Diagnostic sequence

  • Inspect the first provider-specific record rather than retrying solely on the outer HRESULT.
  • Classify the native error as permanent, concurrency-related, connectivity-related, or transaction-outcome unknown.
  • Verify the COM+ application identity and connection configuration under production conditions.
  • Reconcile the transaction before replaying any command whose commit status is uncertain.

Retry and recovery

Apply recovery based on the native database error. Retry only for documented transient conditions and use idempotency when the transaction outcome is ambiguous.

What CO_E_DBERROR does not establish

This code does not mean the COM+ catalog database failed and does not identify a particular database product, SQL statement, or retry policy.

Difference from nearby HRESULT values

DB_E_ERRORSOCCURRED belongs to OLE DB multi-step operation reporting. CONTEXT_E_ABORTED describes the final COM+ transaction abort that may follow a database failure.

Practical scenario

A constructed component opens SQL under the COM+ application identity and receives a login failure. The client sees this outer HRESULT, while the provider record identifies the rejected account; permissions are corrected without changing transaction settings.

Developer and telemetry guidance

Never discard the native provider chain when converting to COM HRESULTs. Metrics should group by native error class while retaining the outer code for the COM+ boundary.

Official Microsoft references

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