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DB_E_BADCOLUMNID
Meaning
Windows documents DB_E_BADCOLUMNID as “Column ID is invalid”. Here, an OLE DB method receives a DBID that does not identify a column in the applicable table, rowset or command result.
Specific conditions that produce the result
- Cause 1: the name or GUID component of the DBID is wrong.
- Cause 2: an ordinal refers past the current column count.
- Cause 3: metadata was cached across a schema or command change.
Relevant OLE DB contract
This result must be interpreted against this contract: OLE DB schema contracts combine DBIDs, provider type metadata, column attributes, constraints and locale rules; current provider metadata is authoritative; cached ordinals or type assumptions can become invalid after a schema or command change.
Start with the table, column, parameter or schema object named by the failing definition or data operation when investigating this result.
Evidence to collect before changing the system
- Evidence 1: the complete DBID kind and value.
- Evidence 2: current IColumnsInfo metadata and column count.
- Evidence 3: case-sensitivity and identifier rules reported by the provider.
Corrective actions
- Action 1: resolve columns from current metadata instead of assuming names or ordinals.
- Action 2: normalize identifiers only according to provider rules.
- Action 3: invalidate cached DBIDs after schema or command changes.
Practical incident
A consumer caches ordinal 7, but a view is redefined with only six columns; remapping by current metadata prevents it.
Retry and recovery policy
Retry rule: retry after replacing the DBID with one reported by the current object.
Difference from related HRESULT values
DB_E_NOCOLUMN also reports an invalid column identifier in some OLE DB contracts, while DB_E_BADCOLUMNID is the core invalid-DBID result for this operation.
Official Microsoft references
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