SQLCODE -413: Overflow during numeric conversion

What it means

Db2 converts numbers between types all the time, in an explicit CAST, in functions such as SMALLINT, INTEGER, BIGINT and DECIMAL, and when it brings values of different types together. Each target type has a range. When the value being converted is too big for the target, or too small for a floating-point target to hold, Db2 can't represent it and stops the statement with -413.

Several codes describe numbers that don't fit, and the right one tells you where to look. -413 is a conversion inside SQL. -406 is a calculated value stored in a column too small for it. -802 is an overflow in the arithmetic itself, such as a multiplication or a SUM. -304 is a value returned to a host variable that is too small.

Common causes

• A CAST or conversion function narrows a value that is too large, for example SMALLINT(QTY) when some rows hold more than 32,767, or INTEGER(TOTAL) on a BIGINT total.
• DECIMAL(expr, 5, 2) or CAST(expr AS DECIMAL(5,2)) is applied to values of 1,000 or more.
• A floating-point or DECFLOAT value far outside the DECIMAL range is converted to DECIMAL.
• Data has grown past what a conversion in an old query assumed, for example IDs that used to fit in INTEGER.
• A bad row, such as a sentinel value of all nines, slips into data that is normally small.

How to find the problem

1. List every explicit CAST and conversion function in the statement, and note the target type of each.
2. Check the range of the source data with SELECT MIN(QTY), MAX(QTY) FROM ... using the same WHERE clause.
3. Find the rows that break the limit, for example SELECT ORDER_NO, QTY FROM ... WHERE ABS(QTY) > 32767.
4. If the statement has no explicit conversion, look at expressions that mix numeric types and at the types of host variables passed in.

How to fix it

• Convert to a type big enough for the data, such as INTEGER or BIGINT instead of SMALLINT, or a DECIMAL with more digits.
• Guard the conversion with a CASE expression that handles out-of-range values in the way the business wants.
• Fix bad rows at the source if the large values shouldn't exist.
• Review older queries and copybooks that assume small values whenever a key or counter grows.

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 Db2 for z/OS documentation for your release.