Informix Error -567: Cannot write sorted rows.

Reasons / Common Causes

-567 is flagged by the official text as an internal error, at the stage of writing sorted rows out (either to their final destination or to temporary storage as part of a larger sort) — the fourth stage in the same sort-phase family as -564 (during the sort), -565 (reading sorted rows back), and -566 (initiating the sort).

1. Insufficient space where the sorted rows are being written, a plausible non-engine-internal contributor even though the official text frames this as internal — the temp dbspace, or the destination table/temp table, running out of room.
2. An I/O error against the destination for the write, whether that's temp storage or a table being populated from the sorted result.
3. A genuine internal engine condition, per the official guidance's framing, with no documented application-level cause.

Solutions / Resolution

1. Check the accompanying ISAM error code, per the official guidance, for the specific underlying reason.
2. Check space availability at the write destination — the DBSPACETEMP dbspace(s) for an intermediate write, or the target table's dbspace if this is the final write of sorted results:

   onstat -d
   

3. If this recurs after ruling out a space shortage, note all circumstances and contact IBM Informix Technical Support, per the official guidance.

Examples

Checking space before escalating

$ onstat -d
-- review free-page counts for DBSPACETEMP dbspace(s) and/or the destination table's dbspace

Diagnostic Checks

1. Check the accompanying ISAM error code first, per the official guidance.
2. Check free space at the write destination (temp dbspace or target table's dbspace) as the most plausible concrete contributor before treating this as purely internal.

Related Errors / Related Topics

• -564 — "Cannot sort rows." Same internal-sort-error family, during the sort itself.
• -565 — "Cannot read sorted rows." Same family, at the read-back stage.
• -566 — "Cannot initiate sort." Same family, at the setup stage.

The fourth stage in the same sort-phase error family as -564/-565/-566 — check the accompanying ISAM error and space at the write destination before escalating.