apache/seatunnel · error · CatalogException

Failed to drop collection

Error message

Failed to drop collection: ${tablePath.getFullName()}

What it means

After the existence check passes, dropTable calls db.getCollection(name).drop(); any driver/server failure is wrapped in a CatalogException "Failed to drop collection: <fullName>". The wrapped cause holds the concrete MongoDB error.

Solutions

1. Grant the user dropCollection (readWrite/admin) privilege on the database.
2. Inspect e.getCause() for the Mongo error code and message.
3. Retry the drop on transient network errors; drop is idempotent.
4. Check replica set health; drop requires a writable primary.
5. Do not attempt to drop system/internal collections via the catalog.

Example fix

// before
catalog.dropTable(tablePath, false);
// after
try {
    catalog.dropTable(tablePath, false);
} catch (CatalogException e) {
    LOG.error("Drop failed: {}", e.getCause(), e);
    throw e;
}

// preflight: user roles must include dropCollection
// db.runCommand({connectionStatus: 1, showPrivileges: true})

try {
    catalog.dropTable(tablePath, false);
} catch (CatalogException e) {
    Throwable c = e.getCause();
    if (c instanceof MongoTimeoutException) { /* retry; drop is idempotent */ }
    else throw e;
}

When it happens

Trigger: User lacks dropCollection privilege, connection lost mid-drop, drop of a special/internal collection that forbids dropping (e.g., a collection backing a view or capped in restricted mode), or timeout on a large namespace.

Common situations: Read-only service account used for catalog operations, network partition between check and drop, attempts to drop system.* collections, replica set without a primary.

Related errors

• Database does not exist in catalog
• Database does not exist in catalog
• Failed to check database existence
• Failed to create collection
• Failed to list databases

AI-assisted analysis of apache/seatunnel@cf67b549a7 (2026-09-10). Data as JSON: /api/errors/00fd08e5ea186aef. Report an issue: GitHub.

Appendix: source

Thrown at seatunnel-connectors-v2/connector-mongodb/src/main/java/org/apache/seatunnel/connectors/seatunnel/mongodb/catalog/MongodbCatalog.java:155

            db.createCollection(tablePath.getTableName());
        } catch (Exception e) {
            throw new CatalogException(
                    "Failed to create collection: " + tablePath.getFullName(), e);
        }
    }

    @Override
    public void dropTable(TablePath tablePath, boolean ignoreIfNotExists)
            throws TableNotExistException, CatalogException {
        if (!tableExists(tablePath)) {
            if (ignoreIfNotExists) return;
            throw new TableNotExistException(name(), tablePath);
        }
        try {
            MongoDatabase db = mongoClient.getDatabase(tablePath.getDatabaseName());
            db.getCollection(tablePath.getTableName()).drop();
        } catch (Exception e) {
            throw new CatalogException("Failed to drop collection: " + tablePath.getFullName(), e);
        }
    }

    @Override
    public void createDatabase(TablePath tablePath, boolean ignoreIfExists)
            throws DatabaseAlreadyExistException, CatalogException {
        throw CommonError.unsupportedOperation(name(), "create database ");
    }

    @Override
    public void dropDatabase(TablePath tablePath, boolean ignoreIfNotExists)
            throws DatabaseNotExistException, CatalogException {
        throw CommonError.unsupportedOperation(name(), "drop database ");
    }

    @Override
    public void truncateTable(TablePath tablePath, boolean ignoreIfNotExists)
            throws TableNotExistException, CatalogException {

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