case not found

Symptoms

A statement failed with SQLSTATE 20000 (case_not_found), reported at severity ERROR. This is a Case Not Found condition: PostgreSQL emits the message case not found.

• The client receives SQLSTATE 20000 (case not found).
• The operation is rejected at ERROR level; the statement does not complete.

What the server log shows

ERROR:  case not found
HINT:  CASE statement is missing ELSE part.

Why PostgreSQL raises this

PostgreSQL raises this error from the area indicated by its SQLSTATE class. The condition name pinpoints the specific rule that was violated.

As described in PostgreSQL’s Appendix A PostgreSQL Error Codes, SQLSTATE 20000 carries the condition name case_not_found in class Case Not Found. (Paraphrased — see the linked reference for the exact wording.)

Common causes

• The operation violated the rule named by this SQLSTATE condition.
• An input, object, or state did not satisfy a precondition.

How to fix it

1. Use the SQLSTATE condition name to identify the exact rule.
2. Correct the offending input, object, or state and retry.
3. See the linked full SQLSTATE reference for detailed guidance.

Version applicability

This message is present in PostgreSQL 15, 16, 17, 18 and 19.

Related & next steps

• SQLSTATE 20000 — Case Not Found (full reference)
• PostgreSQL error code index

Reference: PostgreSQL Appendix A PostgreSQL Error Codes.