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Informix Error -12234: Partition has been altered.

Cause and resolution

Partition has been altered.

The partition has been altered and the table's data dictionary has been marked dirty. DML operations are susceptible to this error when they are referencing an older copy of the table's data dictionary information. Most likely, the database server just completed a CREATE/DROP INDEX or ALTER FRAGMENT operation on the table referred to by the DML operation.

This error is accompanied by SQL Error -710.

Oninit® Troubleshooting Guidance

Reasons / Common Causes

-12234 fires when a DML operation references a table's data dictionary after it was marked dirty by an alter — per the official guidance, this error is accompanied by SQL Error -710.

  1. A CREATE/DROP INDEX or ALTER FRAGMENT operation just completing on the table the DML statement references, per the official guidance — the direct, only cause; the DML operation was referencing an older copy of the table's data dictionary information.
Solutions / Resolution
  1. Retry the DML operation, per the official guidance's implication, so it picks up the refreshed data dictionary.
Examples
N/A

No specific triggering statement is documented beyond a DML operation following a just-completed index/fragment alter.

Diagnostic Checks
  1. Check for a recently completed CREATE/DROP INDEX or ALTER FRAGMENT operation on the referenced table, and retry the DML statement.
Related Errors / Related Topics
  • -12233 — "Alter in progress on partition." A related partition-alter condition, about the alter still being in progress and blocking access, rather than a DML operation referencing a stale dictionary after completion.
  • -21523 — "Cannot proceed with a dirty/modified table data dictionary entry." The equivalent dirty-dictionary condition, also accompanied by SQL Error -710, for CREATE/DROP INDEX operations rather than ALTER FRAGMENT.

A DML operation referenced a table's data dictionary after it was invalidated by a just-completed alter (accompanied by SQL Error -710) — retry the statement.