Resolve ORA-00932 Error Message in Oracle

Isaac
Posted by By Isaac 1 year Ago 3 Min Read

Learn the cause and how to unravel the ORA-00932 error message in Oracle.

Description

When you encounter an ORA-00932 error, the following error message will appear:

ORA-00932: inconsistent datatypes

Cause

You tried to operate an operation between two distinctive datatypes, but the datatypes are not compatible.

Resolution

The option(s) to resolve this Oracle error are:

Option #1

Correct the operation so that the datatypes are compatible. You may additionally favor to use a conversion function such as: TO_DATE function, TO_NUMBER function, or TO_CHAR function. For a whole record of our Oracle functions, go to our Oracle features webpage.

One example of this error is if you try to use the LIKE condition with a LONG datatype.

For example, if you created the following table:

CREATE TABLE suppliers
( supplier_id numeric(10) not null,
  supplier_name long not null,
  contact_name varchar2(50)
);

And then you tried to use the LIKE situation on the supplier_name column which as described as a LONG facts type:

SELECT *
FROM suppliers
WHERE supplier_name LIKE 'IBM%';

You would receive the following error message:

Unfortunately, you can no longer use the LIKE situation on a LONG records type.

To correct this error, you can do one of the following:

Not use the LIKE condition in your SQL (against the LONG datatype field). Consider modifying your table so that the supplier_name subject is both a VARCHAR2 or CHAR field. Try writing a custom PLSQL characteristic to convert a LONG to a VARCHAR2.

Option #2

This error can additionally manifest if you try to use an Oracle function on a LONG datatype.

For example, if you created the following table:

CREATE TABLE suppliers
( supplier_id numeric(10) not null,
  supplier_name long not null,
  contact_name varchar2(50)
);

And then you tried to use the TO_CHAR characteristic on the supplier_name column which as described as a LONG information type:

SELECT upper(supplier_name)
FROM suppliers;

You would receive the following error message:

Unfortunately, you can now not use Oracle features on a LONG data type.

To right this error, you can do one of the following:

Not use Oracle features in your SQL (against the LONG datatype field). Consider editing your table so that the supplier_name discipline is either a VARCHAR2 or CHAR field. Try writing a customized PLSQL characteristic to convert a LONG to a VARCHAR2.