Informix Error -474

Reasons / Common Causes

-474 fires when a GET DESCRIPTOR/SET DESCRIPTOR statement in X/Open mode requests a field type that isn't one of the recognized ones. The valid field types in this mode are TYPE, LENGTH, PRECISION, SCALE, NULLABLE, INDICATOR, DATA, and NAME — anything else is rejected.

1. A misspelled field type keyword in the GET DESCRIPTOR/SET DESCRIPTOR statement.
2. A field type valid in a different context (native Informix mode, or a different API) mistakenly used here.
3. Assuming a broader or different set of field types is available than X/Open mode actually supports.

Solutions / Resolution

1. Use only the valid X/Open field types, per the official guidance: TYPE, LENGTH, PRECISION, SCALE, NULLABLE, INDICATOR, DATA, or NAME.
2. Double-check spelling against this exact list.
3. Consult the X/Open descriptor field-type reference for the server version in use if uncertain which field type actually corresponds to the desired information.

Examples

Using a valid field type

GET DESCRIPTOR 'desc1' VALUE 1 :col_type = TYPE;

The disallowed unknown field type

GET DESCRIPTOR 'desc1' VALUE 1 :col_type = DATATYPE;
-- -474: DATATYPE isn't a valid field type; the correct
-- keyword is TYPE

Diagnostic Checks

1. Check the field type keyword against the exact valid list: TYPE, LENGTH, PRECISION, SCALE, NULLABLE, INDICATOR, DATA, NAME.

Related Errors / Related Topics

• -473 — "The specified data type is not a X/Open standard type." A related X/Open-mode descriptor restriction, about data type codes rather than field type keywords.
• -469 — "This descriptor does not exist." A related descriptor-usage error, about a missing allocation rather than an invalid field type keyword.

Only eight field type keywords are valid in X/Open mode — check spelling against the exact list rather than assuming a broader or different set is available.