Informix Error -220

-220 There is no FROM clause in the query.

Every SELECT statement must include a FROM clause to name the table or tables that it queries. Check that FROM was spelled and that no extra semicolon ends the statement prematurely. To select only a constant, or to select the only value of a function that is unrelated to any table (such as USER or TODAY), you nevertheless have to name a table. You can select a known row from a system catalog, as in this example.

SELECT 'today is', TODAY, 'and I am', USER FROM systables WHERE tabid = 100

The tabid value of the first user-defined table in a database is always 100, so this query always returns exactly one row if any tables are defined. (Version 4.1 and later produce syntax error -201 when the FROM clause is missing.)

-220 Cannot begin savepoint.

Version 4.1 and later can detect this internal error. If the error recurs, note all circumstances and contact IBM Informix Technical Support.

Oninit® Troubleshooting Guidance

Reasons / Common Causes

-220 covers two entirely unrelated conditions sharing the same code — and one of them is itself partly historical, per the official text's own note.

Scenario A: a missing FROM clause (largely superseded).

A SELECT statement missing its FROM clause entirely. Every SELECT needs one, even to select only a constant or a table-unrelated function value (USER, TODAY).
The official text notes this is version-dependent: "Version 4.1 and later produce syntax error -201 when the FROM clause is missing" — meaning on any current version, this specific mistake actually surfaces as -201, not -220. Seeing -220 for a missing FROM clause would itself suggest a very old version.

Scenario B: "Cannot begin savepoint" (current, rare, internal).

An internal condition around transaction savepoint handling, detectable since Version 4.1 — the official text frames this as something to escalate if it recurs, not something with a documented self-service fix.

Solutions / Resolution

For the FROM-clause scenario (on any current version, watch for -201 instead):

Add a FROM clause. For a constant-only or function-only select with no natural table to query, use a known-single-row trick against the system catalog:
```
SELECT 'today is', TODAY, 'and I am', USER FROM systables WHERE tabid = 100;
```
The tabid of the first user-defined table in a database is always 100, so this returns exactly one row whenever any tables are defined.

For the savepoint scenario:

If this recurs, note all circumstances and contact IBM Informix Technical Support, per the official guidance — this is an internal condition without an established self-service fix.

Examples

The FROM-clause trick

SELECT USER, TODAY FROM systables WHERE tabid = 100;

A reliable way to select constants or table-unrelated function values without naming a "real" table specific to the query's actual purpose.

Confirming which scenario applies

-- If -220 appears for what looks like a missing FROM clause on a
-- current, supported version, that's unexpected — current versions
-- should report -201 for this instead. Confirm the actual server
-- version before assuming this is the FROM-clause scenario.

Diagnostic Checks

Determine which of the two scenarios actually applies — a missing FROM clause in a SELECT, versus a savepoint-related operation — since the fix is completely different.
Check the actual server version in use if there's any confusion about whether this or -201 should apply for a missing FROM clause.
For the savepoint case, gather full circumstances for escalation if it recurs.

Related Errors / Related Topics

-201 — "A syntax error has occurred." The official text explicitly names this as what a missing FROM clause produces on Version 4.1 and later — effectively -220's successor for that specific scenario.

If you're troubleshooting a missing FROM clause on a current version and see -220 instead of -201, that's itself worth double-checking the server version over — the official text is explicit that current versions should report -201 for this case.