Informix Error -4349: The PERCENT and COUNT report aggregates cannot be used with an expression.

Cause and resolution

The PERCENT and COUNT report aggregates cannot be used with an expression.

These aggregate functions simply count entire rows, without regard for the contents of the rows. COUNT returns a count of the rows, and PERCENT returns the count of rows as a percentage of the entire table. The only permitted parameters of these functions '*' mean "the entire row." They cannot be applied to specific columns or to expressions that involve specific columns.

Oninit® Troubleshooting Guidance

Reasons / Common Causes

-4349 fires when PERCENT/COUNT is applied to a specific column or expression — per the official guidance, these aggregates count entire rows regardless of content; COUNT returns the row count and PERCENT returns it as a percentage of the whole table, and the only permitted parameter is * ("the entire row").

PERCENT/COUNT applied to a specific column or expression instead of *, per the official guidance — the direct, only cause.

Solutions / Resolution

Use * as the parameter for COUNT/PERCENT instead of a column or expression.

Examples

COUNT applied to a specific column in a report aggregate

REPORT myreport(rec)
  ...
  AFTER GROUP OF rec.customer_id
    PRINT COUNT(rec.order_id)
    -- -4349: the report aggregate COUNT only accepts *, not a column

Corrected

    PRINT COUNT(*)

Diagnostic Checks

Check every COUNT/PERCENT aggregate's parameter, and confirm it's *, not a specific column or expression.

Related Errors / Related Topics

-4348 — "This type of aggregate must be applied to an expression, not ''. Only PERCENT and COUNT aggregates use ''." The mirror-image error, about aggregates like MIN/SUM needing a real expression rather than *.

COUNT/PERCENT is applied to a specific column/expression instead of * — use * for these aggregates.