INF: Interpreting Return Status Values from Stored Procedures

  - Microsoft SQL Server version 4.2 for OS/2

Under SQL Server version 4.2, stored procedures can report a return status that indicates whether they completed successfully or the reasons for failure. SQL Server-defined return status values for failure range from -1 to -99; users can define their own return status values outside this range.

Under the 4.2 release, failure values -1 to -14 are currently in use, with 0 indicating a successful completion. These reserved return values actually map to the 10--the severity level of the error causing the execution failure in the stored procedure. For instance, a severity 16 error within the stored procedure causes a status of -6 (10-16) to be returned. Similarly, a severity 24 error would cause a return status of -14. When executing remote procedure calls across SQL Servers, a -6 return status will also be returned in the event that the remote procedure does not exist.