flowable/flowable-engine · error · TypeException

Error setting non null for parameter #${i} with JdbcType ${j

Error message

Error setting non null for parameter #${i} with JdbcType ${jdbcType} . Try setting a different JdbcType for this parameter or a different configuration property. Cause: ${e}

What it means

TypeException raised when setting a NON-null String parameter fails in FlowableStringTypeHandler.setParameter: setNonNullParameter threw, and the handler wraps the failure with the parameter index and JdbcType plus a hint to adjust the mapping or configuration. The original exception is the cause.

Source

Thrown at modules/flowable-engine-common/src/main/java/org/flowable/common/engine/impl/db/FlowableStringTypeHandler.java:49

                        finalJdbcType = JdbcType.VARCHAR;
                    } else {
                        finalJdbcType = jdbcType;
                    }
                    ps.setNull(i,  finalJdbcType.TYPE_CODE);
                    
                } else {
                    ps.setNull(i, Types.NULL);
                }
            } catch (SQLException e) {
                throw new TypeException("Error setting null for parameter #" + i + " with JdbcType " + jdbcType + " . "
                      + "Try setting a different JdbcType for this parameter or a different jdbcTypeForNull configuration property. "
                      + "Cause: " + e, e);
            }
        } else {
            try {
                setNonNullParameter(ps, i, parameter, jdbcType);
            } catch (Exception e) {
              throw new TypeException("Error setting non null for parameter #" + i + " with JdbcType " + jdbcType + " . "
                  + "Try setting a different JdbcType for this parameter or a different configuration property. " + "Cause: "
                  + e, e);
            }
        }
    }

    @Override
    public void setNonNullParameter(PreparedStatement ps, int i, String parameter, JdbcType jdbcType) throws SQLException {
        ps.setString(i, parameter);
    }

    @Override
    public String getNullableResult(ResultSet rs, String columnName) throws SQLException {
        return rs.getString(columnName);
    }

    @Override
    public String getNullableResult(ResultSet rs, int columnIndex) throws SQLException {

View on GitHub (pinned to d6d39ce1c6)

Solutions

Read the cause: length/encoding errors mean enlarging the column or truncating the value.
Match the jdbcType in the mapping to the actual column type.
Enable larger types (CLOB/NVARCHAR) or adjust NLS/charset configuration for the driver.
Update or align the JDBC driver with the database server version.

Example fix

// before
#{longText,jdbcType=VARCHAR}
// after
#{longText,jdbcType=CLOB} // or ALTER TABLE ... MODIFY longText VARCHAR(4000)

Defensive patterns

Strategy: try-catch

Validate before calling

if (value != null && value.length() > columnMaxLength) throw new IllegalArgumentException("value exceeds column length");

Try / catch

catch (TypeException e) { if (e.getMessage().startsWith("Error setting non null")) { log.error("bind failed", e.getCause()); /* check length/encoding/jdbcType */ } throw e; }

Prevention

Size columns for worst-case values or use CLOB.
Match mapping jdbcType to the actual column type.
Keep JDBC driver and DB server versions aligned.
Watch charset/collation (utf8mb4 for 4-byte chars).

When it happens

Trigger: Binding an actual (non-null) value where the driver rejects it: value longer than the column (VARCHAR size / ORA-12899), invalid characters or encoding, wrong JdbcType for the column, or the target column is NOT NULL but... value conversion issues in custom SQL.

Common situations: Storing a string longer than the column definition; charset/collation mismatches (e.g. 4-byte UTF-8 into utf8 column); custom mappings with mismatched jdbcType; driver incompatibilities after a DB upgrade.

Understand the failure class

Background: "query failed", "%w: SQL error" — wrapped database query errors in Go libraries explained — this error's family across 3 libraries.

Related errors

AI-assisted analysis of flowable/flowable-engine@d6d39ce1c6 (2026-09-11). Data as JSON: /api/errors/e8232b15a4353f9d. Report an issue: GitHub.