# Information provided in SQL Exceptions

Derby provides the message, SQLState values, and error codes in SQL exceptions.

You can use methods of java.lang.Throwable to view the message issued by a SQL exception, including the SQLState and error messages.

Alternatively, you can use the getSQLState and getMessage methods to view the SQLState and error messages, and you can use getErrorCode to see the error code. The error code defines the severity of the error and is not unique to each exception.
Note: Severity is not standardized in Derby. Applications should not depend on the severity returned from SQL exceptions.

Applications should also check for and process java.sql.SQLWarnings, which are processed in a similar way. Derby issues an SQLWarning if the create=true attribute is specified and the database already exists.

- Example of processing SQLExceptions
  A single error can generate more than one SQLException. Usually, but not always, a call to the printStackTrace method displays all these exceptions.

Parent topic: Working with Derby SQLExceptions in an application