hasura/graphql-engine · error · ModelsIssue

The orderable field '{field_name}' in model '{model_name}' i

Error message

The orderable field '{field_name}' in model '{model_name}' is not a scalar field (type: {field_type}) and therefore cannot be used for ordering. Upgrade to version 2 Models and use OrderByExpressions to order by nested fields

What it means

In a v1 model, a field listed in orderable_fields is not a scalar field (e.g. an object or relationship) so it cannot be used for ordering. v1 models only support ordering by scalar fields.

Source

Thrown at v3/crates/metadata-resolve/src/stages/models/types.rs:108

}

#[derive(Serialize, Deserialize, Clone, Debug, PartialEq, Eq)]
pub struct NDCFieldSourceMapping {
    pub ndc_mapping: BTreeMap<FieldName, NdcColumnForComparison>,
}

#[derive(Debug, thiserror::Error)]
pub enum ModelsIssue {
    #[error(
        "An issue occurred while mapping arguments in the model {model_name:} to the collection {collection_name:} in the data connector {data_connector_name:}: {issue:}"
    )]
    FunctionArgumentMappingIssue {
        data_connector_name: Qualified<DataConnectorName>,
        model_name: Qualified<ModelName>,
        collection_name: CollectionName,
        issue: ArgumentMappingIssue,
    },
    #[error(
        "The orderable field '{field_name}' in model '{model_name}' is not a scalar field (type: {field_type}) and therefore cannot be used for ordering. Upgrade to version 2 Models and use OrderByExpressions to order by nested fields"
    )]
    ModelV1OrderableFieldIsNotAScalarField {
        model_name: Qualified<ModelName>,
        field_name: FieldName,
        field_type: QualifiedTypeReference,
    },
    #[error(
        "The orderable field '{field_name}' in model '{model_name}' is an array type (type: {field_type}) and therefore cannot be used for ordering"
    )]
    ModelV1OrderableFieldIsAnArrayType {
        model_name: Qualified<ModelName>,
        field_name: FieldName,
        field_type: QualifiedTypeReference,
    },
    #[error(
        "The order by expression '{order_by_expression_identifier}' used in model '{model_name}' contains a nested field '{nested_field_name}', however the data connector '{data_connector_name}' used in the model does not support ordering by nested fields"
    )]

View on GitHub (pinned to 724551b9ae)

Solutions

1. Remove the non-scalar field from orderable_fields
2. Upgrade to version 2 Models and use OrderByExpressions to order by nested fields
3. Restructure the model so the field is a scalar

Example fix

# before
orderable_fields:
  - field: user  # object field
# after (v2 model)
order_by_expressions:
  - name: user_name
    expression:
      field: user
      then: name

// only scalar fields may be orderable in v1
for f in &model.orderable_fields {
    assert!(is_scalar(&model.type_.fields[f]), "field {} is not scalar", f);
}

const isScalarField = (t) => t.type.kind === 'scalar';

When it happens

Trigger: Adding a nested/object-typed field to orderable_fields in a model whose type is an object or object-array rather than a scalar.

Common situations: Trying to expose ordering on a nested field with v1 model syntax; migrating object models where relationships were mistakenly marked orderable.

Understand the failure class

Background: Schema validation failed / invalid input schema: payload rejected because its shape doesn't match the expected schema — this error's family across 28 libraries.

Related errors

• The orderable field '{field_name}' in model '{model_name}' i
• filter input type name graphql configuration must be specifi
• the model {model_name} has a duplicate root field in the Gra
• model arguments graphql input configuration has been specifi
• %s: %d %s

AI-assisted analysis of hasura/graphql-engine@724551b9ae (2026-08-28). Data as JSON: /api/errors/7af0e0b6755d2675. Report an issue: GitHub.