syntax error or access rule violation

Category: Syntax Error or Access Rule ViolationVersions: All Postgres versions

What this means

SQLSTATE 42000 is the generic syntax or access rule violation code. It is the parent class for 42601 (syntax error), 42501 (permission denied), and other 42xxx codes. When 42000 itself is raised, it indicates a violation that does not fit a more specific subcode.

Why it happens

1A SQL statement has a syntax or semantic error that does not match a more specific 42xxx code
2An access control rule violation not covered by 42501

How to reproduce

Generic syntax or access rule violation.

trigger — this will ERROR

ERROR: syntax error or access rule violation

Fix 1: Inspect the error detail for the specific violation

When 42000 appears.

fix

Why this works

The error message and DETAIL will identify whether this is a syntax issue or an access control issue, and at which position in the query.

Sources

📚 Official docs: https://www.postgresql.org/docs/current/errcodes-appendix.html

🔧 Source ref: Class 42 — Syntax Error or Access Rule Violation

Confidence assessment

✅ HIGH confidence

Standard SQLSTATE generic class code. Stable across all versions.