Oracle reports ORA-00604 when a statement executed inside its own recursive SQL layer fails; the root cause is usually the next error in the stack.
ORA-00604 happens when Oracle’s internal recursive SQL fails—often inside logon triggers, views, or dictionary code. Read the next error (e.g., ORA-00942), disable or fix the faulty trigger/view, re-grant missing privileges, and retry your statement to resolve the issue.
ORA-00604: error occurred at recursive SQL level 1
ORA-00604 is an internal Oracle error raised when the database fails while running recursive SQL—SQL that Oracle executes by itself to support user statements. Your statement is stopped because a deeper error occurred during that internal processing.
The second line in the stack usually shows the real root cause (for example ORA-00942 or ORA-04098).
Clearing ORA-00604 therefore requires you to identify and repair the underlying problem first.
The error may appear during login, DDL, DML, or even background jobs. Fixing it quickly is vital because affected sessions cannot proceed until the recursive SQL succeeds.
Oracle launches recursive SQL to compile objects, fire triggers, or maintain the data dictionary.
If those operations reference invalid objects, lack privileges, or contain bad code, the recursive call fails and ORA-00604 is thrown at the current recursive level.
Start by reading the next error in the stack trace—it pinpoints the faulty object or privilege. Disable the problematic trigger, recompile invalid objects, or grant the missing rights.
After correcting the root issue, rerun your original statement to verify the fix.
Login fails because a logon trigger selects from a dropped table—disable or fix the trigger, then commit. Statement fails because a view relies on missing privilege—grant SELECT on the referenced table to the owning schema. Compile errors inside a package—recompile the package with ALTER PACKAGE … COMPILE.
Keep objects valid with regular health checks.
Use conditional logic in triggers to prevent hard failures. Grant least-privilege access but ensure dependent objects have needed rights. Test dictionary changes in non-production first.
ORA-04088 signals errors during trigger execution and often appears with ORA-00604. ORA-00942 (table or view does not exist) is a typical root cause. ORA-04098 indicates a trigger is invalid and failed re-validation. Solving those errors eliminates ORA-00604.
Galaxy’s AI Copilot highlights invalid objects and missing privileges while you write SQL.
Team-endorsed queries and shareable Collections reduce the chance of deploying faulty code that triggers ORA-00604 in production.
A BEFORE LOGON trigger that references a dropped or inaccessible object causes recursive SQL failure during session startup.
Oracle recompiles invalid objects on demand; a compile error inside that object triggers ORA-00604.
Recursive SQL fails when the data dictionary needs access to an object for which it lacks privileges, often after revokes.
Incorrect NLS settings in client or server can make recursive SQL use unsupported character sets, causing conversion errors followed by ORA-00604.
No. ORA-00604 usually reflects application-level issues such as invalid triggers or missing privileges, not an Oracle software defect.
The following line in the error stack (alert.log or SQL*Plus output) shows the underlying ORA- error that you must fix first.
No. Ignoring it leaves invalid objects or privileges unresolved and can break other sessions. Always fix the root cause.
All supported Oracle Database versions (11g, 12c, 18c, 19c, 21c) can raise ORA-00604 when recursive SQL fails.
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