CPF0006: Errors occurred in command

What it means

Some commands arrive as a text string rather than as compiled CL. That happens when a program calls QCMDEXC, when someone types on a command line, and when a client runs a command through ODBC or a remote command server. The system has to parse the string, find the command, and check its keywords and values. IBM documents that when QCMDEXC finds a syntax error, it sends CPF0006.

Like CPF0001, it is a summary. The diagnostic messages before it, usually with CPD IDs, describe each problem. A common one is CPD0030, which means the command wasn't found in the library given or in the library list.

Because the string is built at run time, CPF0006 problems often come from the way the string was put together, or from the environment the string runs in, more than from the command itself.

Common causes

• The command isn't found because its library isn't on the library list of the job running it. Jobs started from ODBC, JDBC or remote command servers often have a short library list.
• Quotes in the command string are unbalanced, often because a value contained an apostrophe that wasn't doubled.
• A keyword is misspelled or isn't valid for that command.
• A value is too long or has the wrong type for its parameter.
• The length passed to QCMDEXC doesn't match the string, so the command is cut off or picks up trailing junk.

How to find the problem

1. Run DSPJOBLOG, press F10 for detailed messages, and read the messages just before CPF0006.
2. Press F1 on each CPD message to see the parameter or keyword at fault.
3. Log the exact command string your program passes to QCMDEXC. Paste it on a command line and press F4 to see what the prompter makes of it.
4. For commands sent by a client, find the server job that ran them with WRKACTJOB (database server jobs are named QZDASOINIT) and check its library list with option 13 on WRKJOB.

How to fix it

• Fix the command string so it parses. Double any apostrophe inside a quoted value.
• Qualify the command with its library, such as MYLIB/MYCMD, or add the library to the job's library list first with ADDLIBLE.
• For client connections, set the library list in the connection settings or the user's job description.
• Pass QCMDEXC a length that covers the whole command string. A length that is too short cuts the command off.
• Monitor for it in CL with MONMSG MSGID(CPF0006) if the command may legitimately fail.

DSPMSGD MSGID(CPF0006) MSGF(QSYS/QCPFMSG)

Technical reviewer: Albert Joseph, WND Software.

Last reviewed 2026-10-18 by the WND Software team. Written in our own words. For the full reference, check IBM’s documentation for your IBM i release.