Informix Error -2959

-2959 Two tables may join with a maximum of limit column pairs,

including all components of composite columns.

A limit exists on the number of columns that are involved in a join. This limit includes both the join columns that are named in an ATTRIBUTES statement and those that are named in a COMPOSITES statement for the same table.

Oninit® Troubleshooting Guidance

Reasons / Common Causes

-2959 fires when the number of columns involved in a join between two tables exceeds the form compiler's limit — per the official guidance, this limit counts both the join columns named in an ATTRIBUTES statement and those named in a COMPOSITES statement for the same table.

Too many join columns between two tables, counting both ATTRIBUTES and COMPOSITES entries, per the official guidance — the direct, only cause.

Solutions / Resolution

Reduce the number of columns used to join the two tables, per the official guidance, accounting for both ATTRIBUTES and COMPOSITES join columns together.

Examples

Too many composite join columns

COMPOSITES
  ship_key = (region, zone, route, stop, sequence, carrier, dock, bay);
-- -2959: 8 components pushes this join past the compiler's column-pair limit

Corrected

Reduce the composite key to fewer, more selective columns, or denormalize a combined key column into the table instead of joining on many components.

Diagnostic Checks

Count all join columns between the two tables, combining both ATTRIBUTES and COMPOSITES entries, and reduce the count if it exceeds the compiler's limit.

Related Errors / Related Topics

-2858 — "The table table-1 is joined to the table table-2, but its joined columns do not belong to a composite key." A related join-structure error, about the joining columns lacking a composite unique index, rather than exceeding the column-count limit.

A join between two tables uses too many columns (across ATTRIBUTES and COMPOSITES together) — reduce the column count.