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Informix Error -419

-419 SQLDATA pointer in SQLDA or host variable is null.

Review the way the program constructs the sqlda and related data structures; somehow it is setting up a null pointer. If the program is in IBM Informix 4GL or another language in which the sqlda is not constructed directly by the program, or if this statement only refers to host variables by name, this error should not occur. If the error recurs, note all circumstances and contact IBM Informix Technical Support.

Oninit® Troubleshooting Guidance

Reasons / Common Causes

-419 narrows down the same general family as -402/-418 to one specific field: the sqldata pointer within an sqlda structure (or an equivalent host-variable reference) is null, even though the surrounding descriptor itself may be otherwise valid. As with its siblings, this shouldn't normally occur in higher-level environments like IBM Informix 4GL, where sqlda is constructed automatically.

  1. A manually constructed sqlda where the overall descriptor is valid, but a specific variable's sqldata field was never set to point at actual storage.
  2. A host variable's underlying storage being freed or going out of scope before the sqldata pointer referencing it is used.
  3. A bug in lower-level embedded SQL/ESQL-C client code managing these structures directly.
Solutions / Resolution
  1. Review how the program sets up its data structures, per the official guidance, checking specifically that every sqldata field is set to point at valid, currently-allocated storage.
  2. If using a higher-level language (4GL and similar) where this shouldn't normally occur, treat its appearance as a signal of a runtime or generated-code bug, not an application input mistake.
  3. If the problem persists after reviewing the construction code, contact IBM Informix Technical Support, per the official guidance.
Examples
Confirming sqldata points at valid storage
/* Confirm every sqlvar[i].sqldata pointer in a manually
   constructed sqlda points at actual, currently-allocated
   storage for that variable, not a null or dangling pointer. */
for (i = 0; i < desc->sqld; i++) {
    /* desc->sqlvar[i].sqldata must be set before use */
}
Diagnostic Checks
  1. Check each sqldata field within the sqlda for a null value.
  2. Confirm the referenced storage is still valid/allocated at the time the statement executes, not freed or out of scope.
  3. Confirm whether the client code is a higher-level language (4GL and similar) where this shouldn't normally occur at all.
Related Errors / Related Topics
  • -418 — "NULL SQLDA descriptor or host variable list encountered." The broader sibling — a null descriptor/list overall, versus this error's specific null sqldata field within an otherwise valid structure.
  • -402 — "Address of a host variable is NULL." Another closely related null-pointer error in the same embedded-SQL/ESQL-C sqlda-construction family.

Check specifically for a null sqldata field within an otherwise valid sqlda — this is a narrower condition than -418's broader "descriptor itself is null" case.