# Error 4204: Invalid binary vector format

| Error Code | SQLSTATE | Error                               | Description                                                                                                                            |
| ---------- | -------- | ----------------------------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| 4204       |          | ER\_VECTOR\_BINARY\_FORMAT\_INVALID | Invalid binary vector format. Must use IEEE standard float representation in little-endian format. Use VEC\_FromText() to generate it. |

## Possible Causes and Solutions

### Argument is not a Valid Binary Vector

For example, the [VEC\_ToText](/docs/server/reference/sql-functions/vector-functions/vec_totext.md) function expects a binary vector. If not given one, this error will result:

```
SELECT VEC_ToText(x'aabbcc');
+-----------------------+
| VEC_ToText(x'aabbcc') |
+-----------------------+
| NULL                  |
+-----------------------+
1 row in set, 1 warning (0.000 sec)

Warning (Code 4204): Invalid binary vector format. Must use IEEE standard float 
  representation in little-endian format. Use VEC_FromText() to generate it.
```

The solution is to provide a valid binary vector:

```
SELECT VEC_ToText(x'e360d63ebe554f3fcdbc523f4522193f5236083d');
+---------------------------------------------------------+
| VEC_ToText(x'e360d63ebe554f3fcdbc523f4522193f5236083d') |
+---------------------------------------------------------+
| [0.418708,0.809902,0.823193,0.598179,0.033255]          |
+---------------------------------------------------------+
```

<sub>*This page is licensed: CC BY-SA / Gnu FDL*</sub>

{% @marketo/form formId="4316" %}


---

# Agent Instructions: Querying This Documentation

If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation dynamically by asking a question.

Perform an HTTP GET request on the current page URL with the `ask` query parameter:

```
GET https://mariadb.com/docs/server/reference/error-codes/mariadb-error-codes-4200-to-4299/e4204.md?ask=<question>
```

The question should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language.
The response will contain a direct answer to the question and relevant excerpts and sources from the documentation.

Use this mechanism when the answer is not explicitly present in the current page, you need clarification or additional context, or you want to retrieve related documentation sections.