Informix Error -12201: Smart Large Objects: Non zero reference count.

Reasons / Common Causes

-12201 fires when a DELETE targets a smart large object whose reference count isn't zero — per the official guidance.

1. The smart large object's reference count being nonzero, per the official guidance — the direct, only cause.

Solutions / Resolution

1. Remove all remaining references to the object before deleting it, per the official guidance's implication.

Examples

N/A

No specific triggering statement is documented beyond deleting a referenced object.

Diagnostic Checks

1. Check the object's current reference count, and clear any remaining references before deleting it.

Related Errors / Related Topics

• -12202 — "Smart Large Objects: Non zero open count." The same class of delete restriction, on the open count rather than the reference count.
• -12079 — "Smart Large Objects: Cannot decrement zero reference count." A related reference-count condition, about decrementing below zero rather than deleting with a nonzero count.

A smart large object couldn't be deleted because its reference count is nonzero — clear all references first.