42P17ERRORTier 2 — Caution✅ HIGH confidence

invalid object definition

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

What this means

SQLSTATE 42P17 is raised when an object definition (e.g., CREATE TYPE, CREATE DOMAIN, CREATE AGGREGATE, CREATE OPERATOR CLASS) contains an invalid or contradictory specification.

Why it happens

1CREATE TYPE or CREATE DOMAIN with invalid constraints or type options
2CREATE AGGREGATE with missing required functions or contradictory settings
3CREATE OPERATOR CLASS with invalid configuration

How to reproduce

CREATE DOMAIN with contradictory constraints.

trigger — this will ERROR

CREATE DOMAIN positive_int AS INTEGER CHECK (VALUE > 0) CHECK (VALUE < 0);
-- contradictory CHECK constraints

ERROR: invalid object definition

Fix 1: Review and correct the object definition

When this error appears from a CREATE TYPE or CREATE DOMAIN.

fix

CREATE DOMAIN positive_int AS INTEGER CHECK (VALUE > 0);

Why this works

Remove contradictory constraints and ensure all required components of the object definition are present and compatible.

Sources

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

🔧 Source ref: Class 42 — Syntax Error or Access Rule Violation (Postgres-specific)

Confidence assessment

✅ HIGH confidence

Postgres-specific. Stable across versions.