dbt-labs/dbt-core · error

column identifier must be a column name or a column index

Error message

column identifier must be a column name or a column index: {key} found instead

What it means

Validation in Table::column_index_of: the Jinja value used as a column identifier is neither a string (column name) nor an integer (column index). The offending value is interpolated as {key}; the caller passed an unusable type where a name or index was expected.

Solutions

1. Pass a column name string or a zero-based column index integer
2. Wrap multiple identifiers in a list instead of passing a dict or other object
3. Check that the identifier value is not None/undefined in the template

When it happens

Trigger: Thrown at crates/dbt-agate/src/table.rs:167 when the library encounters an invalid state.

Common situations: See trigger scenarios.

AI-assisted analysis of dbt-labs/dbt-core@0267ce9170 (2026-09-07). Data as JSON: /api/errors/bb9b5e9e4ad7e879. Report an issue: GitHub.

Appendix: source

Thrown at crates/dbt-agate/src/table.rs:167

    pub fn column_indices<'a>(&'a self, keys: &'a [String]) -> impl Iterator<Item = usize> + 'a {
        let fields = self.flat.schema_ref().as_ref().fields();
        let iter = keys
            .iter()
            .filter_map(|k| fields.iter().position(|f| f.name() == k));
        iter
    }

    /// Index of the column with the given name or at the given index.
    ///
    /// `None` if the name is not found or the index is out of range.
    fn column_index_of(&self, key: &Value) -> Result<Option<usize>, Error> {
        if let Some(name) = key.as_str() {
            let fields = self.flat.schema_ref().as_ref().fields();
            Ok(fields.iter().position(|f| f.name() == name))
        } else if let Some(idx) = key.as_i64() {
            Ok(adjusted_index(idx as isize, self.num_columns()))
        } else {
            Err(Error::new(
                ErrorKind::InvalidArgument,
                format!(
                    "column identifier must be a column name or a column index: {key} found instead"
                ),
            ))
        }
    }

    /// Indices of the columns identified by a Jinja value.
    ///
    /// `keys` may be a single column name, a single column index, or a sequence of
    /// either (the two can be mixed).
    ///
    /// If a key is not found, it is simply skipped,
    pub fn column_indices_of(&self, keys: &Value) -> Result<Vec<usize>, Error> {
        // Strings are iterable in Jinja (by character), so single identifiers have to
        // be handled before falling back to the sequence case below.
        if keys.as_str().is_some() || keys.as_i64().is_some() {

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