Informix Error -871

-871 Remainder fragment must be specified last.

If you specify a REMAINDER, it must be the last fragment expression. Rewrite your syntax so that you specify the remainder fragment last.

Oninit® Troubleshooting Guidance

Reasons / Common Causes

-871 fires when a REMAINDER fragment appears anywhere other than the last position in a fragmentation specification — per the official guidance, it must always be listed last.

REMAINDER listed before one or more expression-based fragments, per the official guidance — the direct, only cause.

Solutions / Resolution

Rewrite the fragmentation specification so REMAINDER is listed last, per the official guidance.

Examples

The disallowed order

CREATE TABLE orders (order_id INT, region CHAR(10))
  FRAGMENT BY EXPRESSION
  REMAINDER IN dbspace2,
  (region = 'east') IN dbspace1;
-- -871: REMAINDER must come last

Corrected

CREATE TABLE orders (order_id INT, region CHAR(10))
  FRAGMENT BY EXPRESSION
  (region = 'east') IN dbspace1,
  REMAINDER IN dbspace2;

Diagnostic Checks

Check the position of REMAINDER in the fragmentation specification, moving it to the end if it appears earlier.

Related Errors / Related Topics

-870 — "Cannot specify duplicate remainder fragments." A related REMAINDER-clause restriction, about duplication rather than ordering.
-772 — "Record/key doesn't qualify for any table/index fragment." A related fragmentation error, about a missing REMAINDER fragment rather than one out of order.

A simple ordering requirement — REMAINDER must always be the last fragment listed.