apache/beam · error · SqlUtil.newContextException

Attempting to create database

Error message

Attempting to create database '%s' with unexpected Calcite Schema of type %s

What it means

Beam SQL's `USE DATABASE` parser node resolves the named database schema via Calcite and requires it to be a CatalogManagerSchema, since the statement rewrites table paths against a managed catalog. Any other Calcite Schema implementation cannot support this, so an internal context exception naming the schema's Java class is thrown.

Solutions

1. Register the target database through Beam's catalog manager so it resolves to CatalogManagerSchema.
2. Check the database path syntax (dot-separated) and that it names a managed database.
3. Remove or restructure custom SchemaPlus registrations that shadow Beam's catalog.
4. Use table-qualified names instead of switching databases if the schema cannot be a CatalogManagerSchema.

Example fix

// before
statement.executeSql("USE DATABASE mydb"); // mydb resolves to a plain Calcite schema
// after
statement.executeSql("SELECT * FROM beam_catalog.mydb.mytable"); // or register mydb with Beam's catalog manager

// Verify database path components resolve to a managed catalog schema
List<String> components = Splitter.on('.').splitToList(path);
if (!catalogManager.containsDatabase(components)) {
  throw new IllegalArgumentException(path + " is not a managed Beam database");
}

if (!(schema instanceof CatalogManagerSchema)) { /* fall back / fail fast */ }

When it happens

Trigger: Executing `USE DATABASE <path>` where the resolved CalciteSchema's .schema is not an instance of CatalogManagerSchema.

Common situations: Pointing USE DATABASE at a schema registered outside Beam's catalog manager; malformed dotted paths resolved against the wrong schema; custom schema providers in the Calcite connection.

Understand the failure class

Background: "is not a compatible type" / "cannot merge" errors: when a value's type doesn't match what the library requires — this error's family across 65 libraries.

Related errors

• Attempting to 'USE CATALOG
• Attempting to create database
• Attempting to drop database
• Cannot get column index from
• Cannot get limit count from RelNode tree with root

AI-assisted analysis of apache/beam@12126d8942 (2026-09-13). Data as JSON: /api/errors/821c15398ebe70b3. Report an issue: GitHub.

Appendix: source

Thrown at sdks/java/extensions/sql/src/main/java/org/apache/beam/sdk/extensions/sql/impl/parser/SqlUseDatabase.java:71

  public SqlOperator getOperator() {
    return OPERATOR;
  }

  @Override
  public List<SqlNode> getOperandList() {
    return Collections.singletonList(databaseName);
  }

  @Override
  public void execute(CalcitePrepare.Context context) {
    final Pair<CalciteSchema, String> pair = SqlDdlNodes.schema(context, true, databaseName);
    Schema schema = pair.left.schema;
    String path = databaseName.toString();
    List<String> components = Lists.newArrayList(Splitter.on(".").split(path));
    TableName pathOverride = TableName.create(components, "");

    if (!(schema instanceof CatalogManagerSchema)) {
      throw SqlUtil.newContextException(
          databaseName.getParserPosition(),
          RESOURCE.internal(
              "Attempting to create database '"
                  + path
                  + "' with unexpected Calcite Schema of type "
                  + schema.getClass()));
    }

    CatalogManagerSchema catalogManagerSchema = (CatalogManagerSchema) schema;
    CatalogSchema catalogSchema = catalogManagerSchema.getCatalogSchema(pathOverride);
    // if database exists in a different catalog, we need to also switch to that catalog
    if (pathOverride.catalog() != null
        && !pathOverride
            .catalog()
            .equals(catalogManagerSchema.getCurrentCatalogSchema().getCatalog().name())) {
      SqlIdentifier catalogIdentifier =
          new SqlIdentifier(pathOverride.catalog(), databaseName.getParserPosition());
      catalogManagerSchema.useCatalog(catalogIdentifier);

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