HRESULT 0xC00E008D (MQ_ERROR_MULTI_SORT

Status / error code:

Category:

Constant name:

Source:

Facility:

Operating System:

Description:

The value of cCol in MQSORTSET cannot be greater than 1. Active Directory Domain Services supports only a single sort key.

Previous	Next
MQ_ERROR_NOT_A_CORRECT_OBJECT_CLASS	MQ_ERROR_GC_NEEDED

MQ_ERROR_MULTI_SORT_KEYS

Operational meaning

Applications should keep MQ_ERROR_MULTI_SORT_KEYS attached to the exact MSMQ call that produced it; translating it immediately to “queue error” discards the diagnostic boundary. In this case the decisive subject is AD DS locator accepts only one sort key. A structurally valid multi-column sort set exceeds the directory-backed implementation’s capability.

For MQ_ERROR_MULTI_SORT_KEYS, MQLocateBegin searches public queues registered in the directory; it does not enumerate arbitrary private queues. When diagnosing MQ_ERROR_MULTI_SORT_KEYS, its restriction, projection, and sort structures are translated into a directory-backed query.

When diagnosing MQ_ERROR_MULTI_SORT_KEYS, public-queue discovery depends on both valid MSMQ query structures and AD DS behavior. In the MQ_ERROR_MULTI_SORT_KEYS path, A malformed MQSORTSET should be separated from LDAP bind, schema, replication, or permissions failures.

Where to draw the boundary

Subsystem	MQLocateBegin directory queries over public-queue metadata
Decisive boundary	query restrictions, selected columns, and sort keys must be valid for the AD DS-backed locator
Code-specific focus	AD DS locator accepts only one sort key
Primary recovery rule	Select one server-side key and perform secondary ordering in the application.

When diagnosing MQ_ERROR_MULTI_SORT_KEYS, separate a malformed query structure from an AD DS availability error. In the MQ_ERROR_MULTI_SORT_KEYS path, repeating the same invalid MQSORTSET or MQRESTRICTION against another domain controller will not repair it. For MQ_ERROR_MULTI_SORT_KEYS, the code-specific boundary is AD DS locator accepts only one sort key.

Evidence to preserve

Mqrestriction, mqcolumns, and mqsortset as submitted; associate it explicitly with MQ_ERROR_MULTI_SORT_KEYS.
When diagnosing MQ_ERROR_MULTI_SORT_KEYS, the ad ds mode and domain identity of the caller; capture the value before cleanup or retry changes it.
In the MQ_ERROR_MULTI_SORT_KEYS path, the exact property used for filtering, projection, or ordering; compare it with a known-good call using the same account and queue type.
For this MQ_ERROR_MULTI_SORT_KEYS result, record the queue path or format name, local/remote placement, transactional flag, caller SID, process build, and UTC correlation ID when they apply.

For MQ_ERROR_MULTI_SORT_KEYS, log certificate thumbprints, provider names, SIDs, GUIDs, lengths, and hashes where useful, but do not log private keys, symmetric keys, credentials, or confidential message bodies.

Diagnostic sequence

Record the unsigned HRESULT, MQ_ERROR_MULTI_SORT_KEYS, and the native API or COM method before a framework replaces it with a generic exception.
Reproduce with the smallest queue/message/property set that still returns MQ_ERROR_MULTI_SORT_KEYS; change one precondition at a time.
In the MQ_ERROR_MULTI_SORT_KEYS path, verify the postcondition after the failed call: queue existence, message presence, directory object state, transaction outcome, or generated output may differ by result.
For this MQ_ERROR_MULTI_SORT_KEYS result, capture the exact property used for filtering, projection, or ordering.
Capture MQRESTRICTION, MQCOLUMNS, and MQSORTSET as submitted.
When diagnosing MQ_ERROR_MULTI_SORT_KEYS, apply the code-specific recovery rule: Select one server-side key and perform secondary ordering in the application.

Handling and recovery

Select one server-side key and perform secondary ordering in the application.

When diagnosing MQ_ERROR_MULTI_SORT_KEYS, retry only after a measurable state change: corrected property data, resized storage, restored service/directory reachability, recreated handle, completed transaction recovery, or repaired certificate access. In the MQ_ERROR_MULTI_SORT_KEYS path, bound attempts and keep an idempotency key for sends or directory mutations.

Nearby failure boundaries

A directory query shape error is deterministic. For this MQ_ERROR_MULTI_SORT_KEYS result, switching domain controllers cannot make an unsupported column, relation, or sort key valid. The specific focus for MQ_ERROR_MULTI_SORT_KEYS remains AD DS locator accepts only one sort key.

In the MQ_ERROR_MULTI_SORT_KEYS path, restarting MSMQ before collecting evidence can invalidate handles and erase the first useful event; it is a containment action, not a root-cause diagnosis.
For this MQ_ERROR_MULTI_SORT_KEYS result, granting broad queue or certificate permissions may mask the symptom while creating a security defect. For MQ_ERROR_MULTI_SORT_KEYS, test the exact identity and access needed by the operation.

Worked example

A discovery service querying public queues encounters MQ_ERROR_MULTI_SORT_KEYS. For MQ_ERROR_MULTI_SORT_KEYS, it captures the restriction/column/sort structures and validates the query before testing directory availability. When diagnosing MQ_ERROR_MULTI_SORT_KEYS, the acceptance test then changes only the decisive precondition and confirms both the HRESULT and the actual queue/message state.

Automated coverage should preserve the original arrays/identities, confirm that cleanup is safe after MQ_ERROR_MULTI_SORT_KEYS, and test that a retry does not duplicate messages or directory objects.

References

Microsoft: Message Queuing error and information codes — source used for the MQ_ERROR_MULTI_SORT_KEYS analysis.
Microsoft: MQLocateBegin — source used for the MQ_ERROR_MULTI_SORT_KEYS analysis.
Microsoft Open Specifications: MSMQ and directory services — source used for the MQ_ERROR_MULTI_SORT_KEYS analysis.
IETF RFC 4511: LDAP protocol — source used for the MQ_ERROR_MULTI_SORT_KEYS analysis.

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