apache/iceberg · error · NoSuchNamespaceException

Namespace '%s' with snowflake identifier '%s' doesn't exist

Error message

Namespace '%s' with snowflake identifier '%s' doesn't exist

What it means

SnowflakeCatalog.loadNamespaceMetadata verified via snowflakeClient that the requested database or schema does not exist and throws NoSuchNamespaceException. Snowflake returns an empty metadata map when the namespace exists; there are no properties to report, so only existence is checked.

Source

Thrown at snowflake/src/main/java/org/apache/iceberg/snowflake/SnowflakeCatalog.java:219

    SnowflakeIdentifier id = NamespaceHelpers.toSnowflakeIdentifier(namespace);
    boolean namespaceExists;
    switch (id.type()) {
      case DATABASE:
        namespaceExists = snowflakeClient.databaseExists(id);
        break;
      case SCHEMA:
        namespaceExists = snowflakeClient.schemaExists(id);
        break;
      default:
        throw new IllegalArgumentException(
            String.format(
                "loadNamespaceMetadata must be at either DATABASE or SCHEMA level; got %s from namespace %s",
                id, namespace));
    }
    if (namespaceExists) {
      return ImmutableMap.of();
    } else {
      throw new NoSuchNamespaceException(
          "Namespace '%s' with snowflake identifier '%s' doesn't exist", namespace, id);
    }
  }

  @Override
  public boolean dropNamespace(Namespace namespace) {
    throw new UnsupportedOperationException(
        "SnowflakeCatalog does not currently support dropNamespace");
  }

  @Override
  public boolean setProperties(Namespace namespace, Map<String, String> properties) {
    throw new UnsupportedOperationException(
        "SnowflakeCatalog does not currently support setProperties");
  }

  @Override
  public boolean removeProperties(Namespace namespace, Set<String> properties) {

View on GitHub (pinned to 86d9c8fc54)

Solutions

Verify the database/schema exists with SHOW DATABASES / SHOW SCHEMAS in Snowflake using the configured credentials and role
Check catalog configuration (uri, role, database) points at the intended Snowflake account
Ensure the role grants (USAGE on database/schema) allow the connected user to see the namespace
Fix the namespace name spelling/casing in the calling code

Example fix

// before
if (!catalog.namespaceExists(ns)) { /* assume missing */ }
// after
try {
  catalog.loadNamespaceMetadata(ns);
} catch (NoSuchNamespaceException e) {
  // create or locate the correct namespace before proceeding
}

Defensive patterns

Strategy: try-catch

Validate before calling

// optionally pre-check via Snowflake client
boolean exists = namespace.levels().length == 1
    ? snowflakeClient.databaseExists(id)
    : snowflakeClient.schemaExists(id);

Try / catch

try {
  Map<String, String> meta = catalog.loadNamespaceMetadata(ns);
} catch (NoSuchNamespaceException e) {
  // provision the namespace or correct its name before proceeding
}

Prevention

Verify database/schema names and casing against SHOW DATABASES/SCHEMAS
Confirm the configured Snowflake role has USAGE grants on target namespaces
Pin catalog URI/role config to the intended environment
Re-validate cached namespace names after drops/renames in Snowflake

When it happens

Trigger: Calling loadNamespaceMetadata with a one- or two-level namespace whose database (or database.schema) does not exist in the connected Snowflake account, or is not visible to the configured role.

Common situations: Typos in database/schema names or wrong letter-casing assumptions; connected with a role that lacks access to the namespace; pointing the catalog URI at a different Snowflake account/environment than expected; namespace dropped after being cached.

Understand the failure class

Background: "Not found" and "does not exist" errors: why "Task not found", "No such folder", and "Can't find" fire when a lookup comes back empty — this error's family across 14 libraries.

Related errors

AI-assisted analysis of apache/iceberg@86d9c8fc54 (2026-09-12). Data as JSON: /api/errors/c3584ce7d8f7ac8c. Report an issue: GitHub.