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hrIndexMustStay
Diagnostic focus
hrIndexMustStay means the requested delete would remove an index required by the table layout, commonly the clustered index.
This is the legacy Directory Service backup/restore HRESULT form of JET_errIndexMustStay (0xC800057D).
The key comparison is: hrIndexInUse is temporary runtime use; this code expresses a structural requirement. The first useful observation is to identify primary/clustered flags and every schema dependency before deletion. This evidence separates index schema, current-index cursor state, key construction, and duplicate data.
The ESE objects in play
| Diagnostic layer | B-tree index definition, key construction, uniqueness, and current-index cursor state |
|---|---|
| Typical API surface | JetCreateIndex, JetDeleteIndex, JetSetCurrentIndex, JetMakeKey, JetSeek, and JetSetIndexRange |
| Code-specific condition | the requested delete would remove an index required by the table layout, commonly the clustered index |
| First corrective direction | rebuild the table with the desired layout instead of deleting the mandatory index in place |
Index schema and runtime key-building state are separate diagnostic layers. Key bytes depend on segment order, column representation, collation, null rules, and sort direction.
Evidence that resolves the ambiguity
- Code-specific observation: identify primary/clustered flags and every schema dependency before deletion.
- the raw index key definition, flags, locale, and conditional columns; associate it with this result rather than with a later generic exception.
- the current index plus every JetMakeKey segment and grbit.
- the encoded key and existing row when uniqueness is involved.
Nearby results that mean something different
hrIndexInvalidDef | the index key definition, flags, locale, or conditional metadata is internally invalid |
|---|---|
hrIndexNotFound | the requested index name is valid but absent from the table |
hrIndexInUse | an index definition is being used by an open cursor or operation that prevents the requested schema change |
A disciplined correction path
- Freeze the failing request context and record
0xC800057D, the Jet API name, and the current instance/session ownership. - Verify the code-specific precondition: identify primary/clustered flags and every schema dependency before deletion.
- Apply the targeted fix: rebuild the table with the desired layout instead of deleting the mandatory index in place.
- Before retrying the operation, reconcile index definition, selected cursor index, and key or uniqueness outcome.
Actions that can hide or worsen the problem
- Do not drop or rebuild an index before checking uniqueness and table-layout dependencies.
- Do not treat a key-construction or duplicate-key result as database-file corruption.
Technical references
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