diff --git a/db-service/lib/SQLService.js b/db-service/lib/SQLService.js
index 837cfb929..5daf5d82c 100644
--- a/db-service/lib/SQLService.js
+++ b/db-service/lib/SQLService.js
@@ -67,6 +67,7 @@ class SQLService extends DatabaseService {
     this.on(['DELETE'], this.onDELETE)
     this.on(['CREATE ENTITY', 'DROP ENTITY'], this.onSIMPLE)
     this.on(['BEGIN', 'COMMIT', 'ROLLBACK'], this.onEVENT)
+    this.before(['COMMIT'], this.onASSERT)
     this.on(['*'], this.onPlainSQL)
     return super.init()
   }
@@ -299,6 +300,26 @@ class SQLService extends DatabaseService {
     return await this.exec(event)
   }
 
+  /**
+   * Handler before COMMIT to validate the new database state
+   * @type {Handler}
+   */
+  async onASSERT(req) {
+    const query = require('./assert.js')(this)
+    if (!query) return
+    const service = cds.context.tx.name
+    // Filter errors by transaction service as leaking error from other entities could leak information
+    // The database service is responsible for all entities therefor doesn't filter the targets
+    const errors = await this.run(query, [service === 'db' ? '' : service])
+    if (errors.length) for (const error of errors) {
+      const e = {}
+      try { Object.assign(e, JSON.parse(error.message)) } catch { e.message = e.message }
+      // REVISIT: UI5 doesn't respect the full path target
+      e.target = 'in/' + error.target.slice(error.target.lastIndexOf('/') + 1)
+      req.error(e)
+    }
+  }
+
   /**
    * Handler for SQL statements which don't have any CQN
    * @type {Handler}
diff --git a/db-service/lib/assert.js b/db-service/lib/assert.js
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..da6c6937f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/db-service/lib/assert.js
@@ -0,0 +1,39 @@
+const cds = require('@sap/cds')
+
+module.exports = function (db) {
+  const { model } = db
+  const asserts = []
+  for (const entity of model.each(cds.builtin.classes.entity)) {
+    const target = !entity.keys
+      ? { val: null, param: false, as: 'target' }
+      : {
+        func: 'concat',
+        as: 'target',
+        args: [
+          { val: entity.name, param: false },
+          { val: '(' }, ...Object.keys(entity.keys).filter(k => !entity.keys[k].virtual && !entity.keys[k].isAssociation).map((k, i) => [{ val: (i ? ',' : '') + k + '=', param: false }, { ref: [k] }]).flat(), { val: ')' }
+        ]
+      }
+    for (const element of entity.elements) {
+      if (!element['@assert']) continue
+      asserts.push(
+        cds.ql.SELECT([
+          { __proto__: element['@assert'], as: 'message' },
+          { ...target, args: [...target.args, { val: '/' + element.name }] },
+        ]).from(entity)
+      )
+    }
+  }
+  if (asserts.length === 0) return
+
+  const sqls = []
+  const CQN2SQL = db.class.CQN2SQL
+  for (const query of asserts) {
+    const q = db.cqn4sql(query)
+    const renderer = new CQN2SQL(q)
+    renderer.SELECT(q)
+    sqls.push(renderer.sql)
+  }
+
+  return `SELECT * FROM (${sqls.join(' UNION ALL ')}) WHERE message IS NOT NULL AND target like (? || '%')`
+}
diff --git a/db-service/lib/cql-functions.js b/db-service/lib/cql-functions.js
index b70d33d8e..3c7d9fd40 100644
--- a/db-service/lib/cql-functions.js
+++ b/db-service/lib/cql-functions.js
@@ -4,6 +4,57 @@ const cds = require('@sap/cds')
 
 // OData: https://docs.oasis-open.org/odata/odata/v4.01/odata-v4.01-part2-url-conventions.html#sec_CanonicalFunctions
 const StandardFunctions = {
+
+  /**
+   * Generates SQL statement that produces an runtime compatible error object
+   * @param {string|object} code - The i18n code or message of the error object
+   * @param {Array<xpr>} args - The arguments to apply to the i18n string
+   * @return {string} - SQL statement
+   */
+  error: function (code, ...args) {
+    let targets, message
+    if (typeof code === 'object') {
+      args = code.args?.list
+      targets = code.targets?.list
+      message = code.message
+      code = code.code
+    }
+
+    return `(${this.SELECT({
+      SELECT: {
+        expand: 'root',
+        columns: [
+          args ? {
+            func: 'json_array',
+            args: args,
+            as: 'args',
+            element: cds.builtin.types.Map,
+          } : { val: null, as: 'args' },
+          targets ? {
+            func: 'json_array',
+            args: targets,
+            as: 'targets',
+            element: cds.builtin.types.Map,
+          } : { val: null, as: 'targets' },
+          {
+            __proto__: (message || { val: null }),
+            as: 'message',
+          },
+          {
+            __proto__: (code || { val: null }),
+            as: 'code',
+          },
+        ]
+      },
+      elements: {
+        args: cds.builtin.types.Map,
+        targets: cds.builtin.types.Map,
+        message: cds.builtin.types.String,
+        code: cds.builtin.types.String,
+      }
+    })})`
+  },
+
   /**
    * Generates SQL statement that produces a boolean value indicating whether the search term is contained in the given columns
    * @param {string} ref - The reference object containing column information
diff --git a/db-service/lib/cqn2sql.js b/db-service/lib/cqn2sql.js
index c72285f6b..48a7dfe2a 100644
--- a/db-service/lib/cqn2sql.js
+++ b/db-service/lib/cqn2sql.js
@@ -1320,7 +1320,7 @@ class CQN2SQLRenderer {
     } else {
       cds.error`Invalid arguments provided for function '${func}' (${args})`
     }
-    const fn = this.class.Functions[func]?.apply(this, args) || `${func}(${args})`
+    const fn = this.class.Functions[func]?.apply(this, Array.isArray(args) ? args: [args]) || `${func}(${args})`
     if (xpr) return `${fn} ${this.xpr({ xpr })}`
     return fn
   }