Informix Error -280

Reasons / Common Causes

-280 is a specific literal-length limit with the same punctuation-error possibility as -201: a character literal exceeded 256 bytes, and that's sometimes because two separate short strings merged into one long apparent one.

1. A character literal genuinely exceeding 256 bytes.
2. Missing quotes merging two short strings into one long one. The official text specifically calls this out — a missing closing or opening quote can make the parser read what were intended as two separate string literals as a single, much longer one.
3. Auto-generated SQL embedding large text values directly as literals, rather than using host or bind variables.

Solutions / Resolution

1. Check punctuation and length of every quoted string in the statement, per the official guidance.
2. Look specifically for a missing quote that might be merging two short strings into one long one.
3. Revise the statement to use a shorter character string if the length is genuinely needed and can be reduced.
4. For genuinely large text values, use host or bind variables instead of embedding the value directly as a literal in the SQL text — this both avoids the 256-byte literal limit and is generally safer against SQL injection in dynamically-built statements.

Examples

A missing quote merging two strings

SELECT * FROM customer WHERE name = 'Jane Doe AND status = 'active';
-- -280: the missing closing quote after "Jane Doe" merges the rest
-- of the statement into one long string literal

Fix:

SELECT * FROM customer WHERE name = 'Jane Doe' AND status = 'active';

A genuinely long literal, parameterized instead

-- Instead of embedding a large text value directly:
INSERT INTO documents (content) VALUES ('... a very long string over 256 bytes ...');

-- Use a host/bind variable:
INSERT INTO documents (content) VALUES (:large_text_value);

Diagnostic Checks

1. Review each quoted string's length in the failing statement.
2. Look for a missing opening or closing quote specifically — this is often the actual cause even when the statement appears to have only reasonably-sized string literals.

Related Errors / Related Topics

• -201 — "A syntax error has occurred." The general punctuation-error family — the same missing-quote/missing-comma theme applies here.
• -235 — "Character column size is too big." A related length-limit condition, though for column definitions rather than literal values in a statement.

Check for a missing quote before assuming any single string literal is genuinely too long — that's the cause the official guidance itself calls out directly.