OpenBB-finance/OpenBB · warning · KeyError

Could not find an indicator-like dimension for dataflow '{da

Error message

Could not find an indicator-like dimension for dataflow '{dataflow_id}'.

What it means

Raised as a KeyError by get_indicators_in when the DSD parsed successfully but no dimension qualified as 'indicator-like' (e.g. no ACTIVITY-style dimension with codes), so full_indicator_list stayed empty. It indicates a structural mismatch between the dataflow's dimensions and the heuristics this utility uses to identify indicator dimensions.

Source

Thrown at openbb_platform/providers/imf/openbb_imf/utils/metadata.py:918

                    activity_codelist_id, {}
                )
                for code_id, code_name in codes_map.items():
                    series_id = f"{dataflow_id}::{code_id}"
                    entry = {
                        "dataflow_id": dataflow_id,
                        "dataflow_name": dataflow_name,
                        "structure_id": structure_id,
                        "agency_id": agency_id,
                        "dimension_id": "ACTIVITY",
                        "indicator": code_id,
                        "label": code_name,
                        "description": descriptions_map.get(code_id, ""),
                        "series_id": series_id,
                    }
                    full_indicator_list.append(entry)

        if not full_indicator_list:
            raise KeyError(
                f"Could not find an indicator-like dimension for dataflow '{dataflow_id}'."
            )

        return full_indicator_list

    def _resolve_codelist_id(
        self, dataflow_id: str, dsd_id: str | None, dim_id: str, dim_meta: dict
    ) -> str | None:
        if not dim_id:
            return None

        # Check for explicit codelist reference first
        representation = dim_meta.get("representation", {})
        codelist_ref = representation.get("codelist")
        if isinstance(codelist_ref, dict):
            return codelist_ref.get("id")
        if isinstance(codelist_ref, str):
            return codelist_ref

View on GitHub (pinned to 3e071fcc2c)

Solutions

1. Catch KeyError for this dataflow and skip it when iterating the full catalog — not every dataflow has indicators.
2. Check the dataflow's dimension list (meta.datastructures[dsd_id]['dimensions']) to confirm no indicator dimension exists.
3. Report/patch the heuristic in metadata.py if a legitimate indicator dimension (different id than ACTIVITY) is being missed.

Example fix

# before
for df_id in meta.dataflows:
    indicators = meta.get_indicators_in(df_id)  # KeyError on layout-less dataflows

# after
for df_id in meta.dataflows:
    try:
        indicators = meta.get_indicators_in(df_id)
    except KeyError:
        continue  # dataflow has no indicator-like dimension

def likely_has_indicators(meta, df_id: str) -> bool:
    ref = meta.dataflows.get(df_id, {}).get('structureRef', {})
    dsd = meta.datastructures.get(ref.get('id', ''), {})
    return len(dsd.get('dimensions', [])) > 1  # heuristic: flat flows rarely expose indicators

try:
    indicators = meta.get_indicators_in(df_id)
except KeyError:
    indicators = []  # dataflow layout unsupported: degrade gracefully in catalog crawls

When it happens

Trigger: Dataflows whose dimensions are only frequency/region/time-style codes with no indicator codelist; codelist resolution failing for every candidate dimension (see _resolve_codelist_id); new dataflows published with an unfamiliar dimension layout.

Common situations: Exploratory scripts that iterate over every dataflow in the catalog and hit one with an unsupported layout; upstream IMF schema changes introducing new dataflow shapes; partial parameter-API responses swallowed by the 'except Exception' around get_dataflow_parameters.

Related errors

• Dataflow '{dataflow_id}' not found. Available dataflows: {li
• Dataflow '{dataflow}' not found.
• Extension '{ext_name}' is not installed.
• Invalid {name}(s): {', '.join(invalid)}
• Invalid indicator code(s) for dataflow '{dataflow}': {'; '.j

AI-assisted analysis of OpenBB-finance/OpenBB@3e071fcc2c (2026-08-14). Data as JSON: /api/errors/6f2028fb7f72dd08. Report an issue: GitHub.