Informix Error -1270: Interval literal may not have embedded minus sign.

Cause and resolution

Interval literal may not have embedded minus sign.

You can use a minus sign as an arithmetic operator between an INTERVAL literal and other values, and you can use a minus sign as a prefix to an INTERVAL literal to indicate it is a negative quantity. However, you cannot embed a minus sign among the fields of the literal. If you did not intend to do this, inspect the statement for missing or misplaced punctuation.

Oninit® Troubleshooting Guidance

Reasons / Common Causes

-1270 fires when a minus sign appears embedded within an INTERVAL literal's own fields — per the official guidance, a minus sign is only valid as an arithmetic operator between an INTERVAL literal and another value, or as a prefix indicating a negative INTERVAL — not embedded inside the literal's fields.

A minus sign placed between fields within the literal itself, per the official guidance — the direct, only cause, rather than as a leading negative-sign prefix or an arithmetic operator outside the literal.

Solutions / Resolution

Review the SQL statement for missing or misplaced punctuation, per the official guidance — move the minus sign to a valid position (a prefix, or an arithmetic operator outside the literal).

Examples

An embedded minus sign

SELECT INTERVAL(1-2) DAY TO DAY FROM orders WHERE order_id = 1;
-- -1270: the minus sign is embedded within the literal's fields

Corrected — prefix negative

SELECT -INTERVAL(12) DAY TO DAY FROM orders WHERE order_id = 1;

Diagnostic Checks

Check the literal for a minus sign positioned inside its fields, rather than as a leading prefix.

Related Errors / Related Topics

-1262 — "Non-numeric character in datetime or interval." A related literal-formatting error, about invalid characters/delimiters more generally.

A minus sign is embedded within the INTERVAL literal's own fields — move it to a valid prefix or operator position.