apache/beam · error · java.lang.IllegalArgumentException

Does not support table_valued function

Error message

Does not support table_valued function: %s

What it means

BeamTableFunctionScanRel supports only a limited set of table-valued functions (e.g. Tumble, Session, FixedWindow TVFs, and ZetaSQL native TVFs that pass input through). When expand() encounters a TVF operator it doesn't implement, it throws this IllegalArgumentException naming the unsupported operator.

Solutions

1. Use one of the supported TVFs (e.g. TUMBLE, HOP, SESSION windowing functions) instead of the unsupported one.
2. If it's a ZetaSQL native TVF, ensure it resolves to ZetaSqlUserDefinedSQLNativeTableValuedFunction so input passes through.
3. Implement a BeamSqlTableFunction (and a matching Calcite operator) for the desired TVF if extending Beam.
4. Rewrite the query using regular joins/aggregations/Window transforms to achieve the same effect.

SqlOperator op = ((RexCall) call).getOperator(); if (!(op instanceof BeamSqlTableFunction) && !(op instanceof ZetaSqlUserDefinedSQLNativeTableValuedFunction)) { throw new IllegalArgumentException("Unsupported TVF: " + op.getName()); }

boolean isSupportedTvf = operator instanceof BeamSqlTableFunction || operator instanceof ZetaSqlUserDefinedSQLNativeTableValuedFunction;

try { result = pipeline.apply(SqlTransform.query(sql)); } catch (IllegalArgumentException e) { if (e.getMessage().startsWith("Does not support table_valued function")) { /* rewrite with supported TVFs or transforms */ } else { throw e; } }

When it happens

Trigger: Invoking a table-valued function in BeamSql whose operator is not one of the supported windowing/TVF implementations — e.g. a custom or ZetaSQL TVF not registered as a native pass-through — during translation of the TableFunctionScan.

Common situations: Using TVF syntax from ZetaSQL (like APPENDS or vendor-specific TVFs) against BeamSql, or calling a user-registered TVF that only has a UDF binding but no BeamSqlTableFunction implementation.

Understand the failure class

Background: UnsupportedOperationException and "is not supported" errors: when a library deliberately refuses a call — this error's family across 30 libraries.

Related errors

• Cannot drop catalog: ' ' not found.
• Cannot use catalog: ' ' not found.
• Catalog ' ' already exists.
• 'CREATE TABLE' is not supported in SQL. You can use 'CREATE…
• Data type: not supported yet!

AI-assisted analysis of apache/beam@12126d8942 (2026-09-13). Data as JSON: /api/errors/4139da1c7eed75d3. Report an issue: GitHub.

Appendix: source

Thrown at sdks/java/extensions/sql/src/main/java/org/apache/beam/sdk/extensions/sql/impl/rel/BeamTableFunctionScanRel.java:219

          "Wrong number of inputs for %s, expected 1 input but received: %s",
          BeamTableFunctionScanRel.class.getSimpleName(),
          input);
      String operatorName = ((RexCall) getCall()).getOperator().getName();

      // builtin TVF uses existing PTransform implementations.
      if (tvfToPTransformMap.keySet().contains(operatorName)) {
        return tvfToPTransformMap
            .get(operatorName)
            .toPTransform(((RexCall) getCall()), input.get(0));
      }

      // ZetaSQL pure SQL TVF should pass through input to output.
      if (((RexCall) getCall()).getOperator()
          instanceof ZetaSqlUserDefinedSQLNativeTableValuedFunction) {
        return input.get(0);
      }

      throw new IllegalArgumentException(
          String.format("Does not support table_valued function: %s", operatorName));
    }

    private Schema getKeySchema(Schema inputSchema, List<Integer> keys) {
      List<Field> fields = new ArrayList<>();
      for (Integer i : keys) {
        fields.add(inputSchema.getField(i));
      }
      return Schema.builder().addFields(fields).build();
    }

    /** Extract timestamps from the windowFieldIndex, then window into windowFns. */
    private PCollection<Row> assignTimestampsAndWindow(
        PCollection<Row> upstream, int windowFieldIndex, WindowFn<Row, IntervalWindow> windowFn) {
      PCollection<Row> windowedStream;
      windowedStream =
          upstream
              .apply(

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