How to diagnose and fix the 2200N invalid_xml_content error code in Postgres.

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The 2200N invalid_xml_content error code in PostgreSQL occurs when you try to process XML content that does not conform to XML standards or contains invalid characters. Here are several steps to diagnose and fix this error, with examples and sample code:

  1. Check for Well-Formed XML: Ensure that the XML content is well-formed. This means it should have a proper opening and closing tags, attributes should be quoted, and special characters must be escaped. Use an XML validator to check if the XML is well-formed. <!-- Bad XML Example --> <note> <to>Tove</to> <from>Jani <heading>Reminder</heading> <body>Don't forget me this weekend!</body> </note> <!-- Good XML Example --> <note> <to>Tove</to> <from>Jani</from> <heading>Reminder</heading> <body>Don't forget me this weekend!</body> </note>
  2. Escape Special Characters: Characters like &, <, >, ", and ' need to be escaped in XML content. <!-- Bad XML Example --> <text>Jack & Jill</text> <!-- Good XML Example --> <text>Jack &amp; Jill</text>
  3. Encoding Issues: Ensure that the XML encoding matches the database encoding. If there’s a mismatch, it can cause invalid XML content errors.
  4. Use XMLPARSE: In PostgreSQL, you can use the XMLPARSE function to ensure the content is parsed as XML. SELECT XMLPARSE(DOCUMENT your_xml_content); If the XML content is invalid, this function will throw an error.
  5. Check for Unsupported XML Features: PostgreSQL might not support certain XML features. For example, if you’re using PostgreSQL 8.3, it may not recognize the DOCTYPE declaration (source).
  6. Use Proper XML Data Types: When working with XML data, ensure you’re using the XML data type in PostgreSQL and not text or varchar. CREATE TABLE example_table ( id serial PRIMARY KEY, data xml );
  7. Correct XML Content in COPY Command: If you’re using the COPY command to import XML data, ensure that the XML content in the file is valid. An error in the COPY command can be due to invalid XML content in the file being imported (source).
  8. Check for Large XML Content: If you’re dealing with very large XML content, you may run into issues where the XML parser can’t handle the size of the content. Consider breaking down the XML into smaller parts if possible (source).
  9. PostgreSQL Version Specific Issues: Some versions of PostgreSQL may have specific issues with XML parsing. For instance, there was an underlying issue within PostgreSQL 15.1 and 15.2 that caused this error (source).

When diagnosing and fixing the 2200N invalid_xml_content error, it’s important to carefully examine the XML content for common mistakes, validate it, and use PostgreSQL functions and data types designed for XML handling. If you’ve tried all the above solutions and still encounter issues, consider reaching out to the PostgreSQL community for support, as there might be a version-specific bug or a deeper issue with your setup.

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