SQL ERROR MESSAGE

In SQL Server, Every error recognized with a specific error message. This SQL Error Message function will help us to fetch that error message when the SQL server identifies errors during the query execution. This function works within the scope of a TRY CATCH block.

For example, we write a series of statements inside the TRY block. If the SQL Server finds an error, then ERROR_MESSAGE() inside the CATCH block will execute and returns the corresponding error description.

SQL ERROR MESSAGE Function Syntax

The syntax of the Error_Message in SQL Server is

ERROR_MESSAGE();

TIP: The ERROR_MESSAGE function takes no arguments, and returns NVARCHAR(4000) as the output.

The following  statement will return the Error Message (text) and the corresponding Error Number. Here, we highlighted the well-known error message, which is Divide by Zero error encountered

SELECT *
  FROM sys.messages

OUTPUT

SQL ERROR MESSAGE example

In this example, we show you how to use the Sql Server Error_Message function to return the error message.

BEGIN TRY
    DECLARE @Number smallint,
	    @Result smallint;
    SET @Number = 32760;
    SET @Result = @Number + 10;
SELECT @Number AS Number, 
       @Result AS Result;
END TRY
BEGIN CATCH
  PRINT N'Error Message = ' + ERROR_MESSAGE();
END CATCH

OUTPUT

ANALYSIS

First, we assigned 32,760 to Number variable and 32,770 to the Result variable.

SET @Number = 32760;
SET @Result = @Number + 10;

As we all know that smallint holds numbers from -32,768 to 32,767 means Overflow so, it will exit from the TRY block and execute the statement inside our CATCH block, which is:

 PRINT N'Error Message = ' + ERROR_MESSAGE();

ERROR MESSAGE Example 2

In this example, we are going to find the result of 1/0.

BEGIN TRY
	SELECT 1/0 AS Result;
END TRY
BEGIN CATCH
	SELECT ERROR_MESSAGE() AS [Error Message];
END CATCH

OUTPUT

ANALYSIS

Within the TRY block, we are finding the result of 1/0

SELECT 1/0 AS Result;

We all know that the above-specified statement will throw an error. So, error_message statement inside the CATCH block (i.e., below statement) will execute.

SELECT ERROR_MESSAGE() AS [Error Message];