Informix Error -21005: Inexact character conversion during translation.

Cause and resolution

Inexact character conversion during translation.

One or more characters were translated using a substitution character. Translation in the reverse direction would not produce the original string. Make sure that the values of the CLIENT_LOCALE and DB_LOCALE environment variables are compatible.

Oninit® Troubleshooting Guidance

Reasons / Common Causes

-21005 fires when one or more characters were translated using a substitution character — per the official guidance, reverse translation of the substituted string wouldn't reproduce the original.

CLIENT_LOCALE and DB_LOCALE values that aren't compatible with each other, per the official guidance — the direct, only cause.

Solutions / Resolution

Make sure CLIENT_LOCALE and DB_LOCALE are compatible, per the official guidance.

Examples

Checking locale settings

$ env | grep -E 'DB_LOCALE|CLIENT_LOCALE'

Diagnostic Checks

Check CLIENT_LOCALE and DB_LOCALE, and confirm both cover the character set actually in use.

Related Errors / Related Topics

-21000 — "Invalid byte in codeset conversion input." A related, more severe code-set conversion error — an unrecognized byte, rather than a lossy but successful substitution.
-21001 — "Incomplete character at end of codeset conversion input." A related, more severe code-set conversion error — a truncated multi-byte character, rather than a lossy but successful substitution.

One or more characters were translated using a substitution character, losing information — confirm CLIENT_LOCALE/DB_LOCALE are compatible.