Informix Error -32128: No privilege for changing a SERIAL column.

Cause and resolution

No privilege for changing a SERIAL column.

You need Insert or Alter privilege on the table, or Update privilege on the SERIAL column, to change the serial value.

Oninit® Troubleshooting Guidance

Reasons / Common Causes

-32128 fires when a session lacks the privilege required to change a SERIAL column's value — per the official guidance.

The session lacks Insert or Alter privilege on the table, and Update privilege on the SERIAL column, per the official guidance — the direct, only cause; any one of the appropriate privileges satisfies the requirement.

Solutions / Resolution

Obtain Insert or Alter privilege on the table, or Update privilege on the SERIAL column, per the official guidance.

Examples

N/A

No specific triggering statement is documented beyond a missing privilege for a SERIAL column change.

Diagnostic Checks

Confirm which of Insert/Alter (table-level) or Update (column-level) privilege the session holds, and request whichever is missing.

Related Errors / Related Topics

-32138 — "Cannot set the initial SERIAL value." A related SERIAL-column error, on the initial value not having been set at table creation rather than a missing privilege.
-32139 — "No initial value has been set for the SERIAL column." A related SERIAL-column error, for a specific sensitivity level lacking an initial value.

The session lacked Insert/Alter or Update privilege needed to change a SERIAL column — obtain the appropriate privilege.