Informix Error -790

Reasons / Common Causes

-790 fires when the server's automatic interval-fragment creation (for a table using interval fragmentation, per -772's related discussion) fails to create a new fragment for out-of-range data — per the official guidance, this can be transient, and simply retrying after a delay is the documented first step.

1. A transient resource condition (temporary space pressure, a momentary lock conflict) during automatic interval-fragment creation, per the official guidance's suggested retry-after-delay behavior.
2. A persistent underlying problem (insufficient space in the dbspace(s) the interval scheme would use, a configuration issue) if the error recurs rather than resolving after a retry.

Solutions / Resolution

1. Retry the operation after some delay, per the official guidance — the documented first step, since this can be a transient condition.
2. If the error persists, note all circumstances and contact IBM Informix Technical Support, per the official guidance.
3. Check dbspace availability for the interval fragmentation scheme, as a plausible concrete cause to investigate if retries don't resolve it:

   onstat -d
   

Examples

Retrying after a delay

-- On -790, wait briefly and retry the INSERT/UPDATE that triggered
-- automatic interval fragment creation, per the official guidance.

Diagnostic Checks

1. Retry after a delay first, per the official guidance.
2. If persistent, check dbspace availability for the interval fragmentation scheme.
3. Capture full circumstances for escalation if the problem persists after retrying.

Related Errors / Related Topics

• -772 — "Record/key doesn't qualify for any table/index fragment." A related interval- fragmentation topic — that error's resolution notes checking whether automatic interval fragment creation is enabled, which is the mechanism this error's own failure relates to.

Retry after a delay first, per the official guidance — escalate only if the failure persists.