SQL ERROR NUMBER

Every error is recognized with a specific number and this SQL Error Number function will help us to fetch that error number, when the SQL server identifies error during the query execution. This function works within the scope of a TRY CATCH block. For example, we write series of statements inside the TRY block and if the SQL Server finds error then ERROR_NUMBER() inside the CATCH block will be executed, and returns the corresponding error.

SQL ERROR NUMBER Function Syntax

The basic syntax of the Error_Number in SQL Server is as shown below:

ERROR_NUMBER()

TIP: The ERROR_NUMBER() function takes no arguments, and returns integer value as the output.

Following SQL statement will return the Error Numbers (message_id) and the corresponding text (ERROR_MESSAGE). Here, we highlighted the well know error number 8134, which is Divide by Zero error encountered

SELECT *
  FROM sys.messages

OUTPUT

SQL ERROR NUMBER example

In this example we are going to show you, How to use the Error_Number() function to return the error number.

SQL CODE

BEGIN TRY
    DECLARE @Number tinyint,
	    @Result tinyint;
    SET @Number = 252;
    SET @Result = @Number + 10;
SELECT @Number AS Number, 
       @Result AS Result;
END TRY
BEGIN CATCH
  PRINT N'Error Number = ' + CAST(ERROR_NUMBER() AS nvarchar(100));
END CATCH

OUTPUT

ANALYSIS

First, we declared two tinyint variables

DECLARE @Number tinyint,
        @Result tinyint;

Next we assigned 252 to Number variable and 262 to Result variable.

SET @Number = 252;
SET @Result = @Number + 10;

As we all know that tinyint holds numbers from 0 to 255 means Overflow so, it will exit from the TRY block and execute the statement inside our CATCH block, which is:

PRINT N'Error Number = ' + CAST(ERROR_NUMBER() AS nvarchar(100));

SQL ERROR NUMBER example 2

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

SQL CODE

BEGIN TRY
	SELECT 1/0 AS Result;
END TRY
BEGIN CATCH
	SELECT ERROR_NUMBER() AS ErrorNumber;
END CATCH

OUTPUT

ANALYSIS

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

SELECT 1/0 AS Result;

As we all know that the above statement will throw an error so, statement inside the CATCH block will be executed.

SELECT ERROR_NUMBER() AS ErrorNumber;

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