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Informix Error -1808: Reconnect to server_name server to perform the database operation.

Cause and resolution

Reconnect to server_name server to perform the database operation.

If you connect to a database server using the CONNECT statement, you cannot implicitly reconnect to a server through one of the DATABASE statements (DATABASE, START DATABASE, and so on). You must switch to it with the SET CONNECTION statement.

Oninit® Troubleshooting Guidance

Reasons / Common Causes

-1808 fires when a session, connected explicitly via CONNECT, then attempts an implicit reconnect to a different server through a DATABASE statement — per the official guidance, this is the same underlying restriction as -758, naming the specific server that needs an explicit SET CONNECTION.

  1. A DATABASE statement implicitly targeting a different server than the current explicit connection, per the official guidance — the same direct cause as -758.
Solutions / Resolution
  1. Use SET CONNECTION to switch to the named server explicitly, per the official guidance — see -758 for the full detail on this required mechanism.
Examples
N/A

This is closely related to -758's condition — see -758's examples for the underlying explicit- connection/SET CONNECTION mechanism.

Diagnostic Checks
  1. Check whether the session connected via explicit CONNECT, and if so, replace any implicit cross-server DATABASE statement with SET CONNECTION, per -758's diagnostic approach.
Related Errors / Related Topics
  • -758 — "Cannot implicitly reconnect to the new server server_name." A closely related error covering this same explicit-connection/implicit-server-switch restriction.
  • -1811 — "Implicit connection not allowed after an explicit connection." The general (non-server-specific) form of this same restriction.

Implicit server switching isn't allowed after an explicit CONNECT — use SET CONNECTION (see -758 for the full detail).