ADO - Description property

In ADO (ActiveX Data Objects), the Description property provides a text explanation of an error that occurred during a database operation.

It’s one of the key properties of the Error object (which belongs to the Errors collection of a Connection object).

 Purpose

The Description property returns a human-readable message that describes the nature of the error — similar to what you’d see in a pop-up error box or debugger output.

 Applies To

  • Error object (in the Errors collection)

Syntax

error.Description

Read-only property.

Example

Dim conn As ADODB.Connection
Dim errObj As ADODB.Error

On Error Resume Next

' Try to open a connection with wrong credentials
Set conn = New ADODB.Connection
conn.Open "Provider=SQLOLEDB;Data Source=.;Initial Catalog=TestDB;User ID=wrong;Password=wrong"

' Check for errors
If conn.Errors.Count > 0 Then
    For Each errObj In conn.Errors
        Debug.Print "Error Number: " & errObj.Number
        Debug.Print "Description: " & errObj.Description
        Debug.Print "Source: " & errObj.Source
        Debug.Print "SQLState: " & errObj.SQLState
        Debug.Print "NativeError: " & errObj.NativeError
        Debug.Print "-----------------------------"
    Next
End If

 Example Output:

Error Number: -2147217843
Description: Login failed for user 'wrong'.
Source: Microsoft OLE DB Provider for SQL Server
SQLState: 42000
NativeError: 18456

Here, the Description property gives the actual text message — "Login failed for user 'wrong'."

Common Usage

The Description property is typically used for:

  • Displaying or logging user-friendly error messages.

  • Debugging ADO operations (like failed queries, missing tables, etc.).

  • Understanding the cause of database or provider errors.

 Key Points

Property Description
Object Belongs to the Error object in the Errors collection
Type Read-only, String
Purpose Provides a textual description of the error
Typical Use Error handling and debugging

Example in Error Handling

On Error GoTo HandleError

Dim rs As ADODB.Recordset
Set rs = New ADODB.Recordset
rs.Open "SELECT * FROM NonExistentTable", conn

Exit Sub

HandleError:
Dim errObj As ADODB.Error
For Each errObj In conn.Errors
    MsgBox "Error: " & errObj.Description, vbCritical, "ADO Error"
Next

Message Box Output:

Error: Invalid object name 'NonExistentTable'.

 In Short:

  • Property: Description

  • Object: Error

  • Type: Read-only string

  • Meaning: Provides the text message describing the cause of an error.