Informix Error -263

Reasons / Common Causes

-263 is the FETCH-on-a-FOR UPDATE-cursor member of the same lock-conflict wrapper family as -233 and -250 — the official text names the identical set of accompanying codes: -107, -113, -134, -143, -144, or -154.

1. Another program using the row (-107) or the table (-113) — the most common causes.
2. Lock-table exhaustion (-134) or deadlock (-143/-154) — less common, but the official text notes these can still occur even with SET LOCKMODE TO WAIT in effect.

Solutions / Resolution

1. Check the accompanying ISAM error code — the same six-code family as -233.
2. Use SET LOCKMODE TO WAIT to eliminate the ordinary -107/-113 conflicts, per the official guidance.
3. Understand this doesn't eliminate everything — deadlock detection (-143/-154) and lock table exhaustion (-134) can still occur regardless of lock mode, and need their own specific handling per those codes' guidance.
4. See -233 for the full retry/response strategy by accompanying code — it applies here without modification.

Examples

Using WAIT mode to reduce ordinary conflicts

SET LOCKMODE TO WAIT 5;
DECLARE cur1 CURSOR FOR SELECT * FROM orders WHERE status = 'pending' FOR UPDATE;
OPEN cur1;
FETCH cur1 INTO :rec;
-- waits up to 5 seconds for the lock instead of failing immediately
-- with -263/-107

Diagnostic Checks

1. Check the accompanying ISAM error code to determine the exact cause and appropriate response, per -233's guidance.

Related Errors / Related Topics

• -233 — "Cannot read record that is locked by another user." The closest sibling — same accompanying-code family, for a general read rather than a FOR UPDATE cursor fetch.
• -250 — "Cannot read record from file for update." Another close sibling in the same lock-conflict family.

See -233 for the complete response strategy by accompanying code — this is the same family, specific to FETCH on a FOR UPDATE cursor.