Informix Error -32114: Cannot drop system catalog tables.

Reasons / Common Causes

-32114 fires when a DROP TABLE targets a system catalog table — per the official guidance.

1. The target table is a system catalog table, per the official guidance — the direct, only cause; system catalog tables are dropped only when the whole database is dropped.

Solutions / Resolution

1. Don't drop a system catalog table directly, per the official guidance — it's removed automatically only when its owning database is dropped.

Examples

N/A

No specific triggering statement is documented beyond attempting to drop a system catalog table directly.

Diagnostic Checks

1. Confirm the target table is actually a system catalog table, and drop the database instead if catalog removal was intended.

Related Errors / Related Topics

• -32122 — "Cannot modify system catalog tables." A related system-catalog restriction, on modifying attributes rather than dropping the table.

A DROP TABLE targeted a system catalog table directly — system catalog tables are removed only when their database is dropped.