hibernate/hibernate-orm · error · QueryException

Can't emulate on error clause on CockroachDB

Error message

Can't emulate on error clause on CockroachDB

What it means

Validation guard in the CockroachDB json_table emulation (renderJsonExistsColumnDefinition): a json_table exists column declared an 'on error' behavior other than the default. CockroachDB has no native json_table, and the emulated jsonb_path_exists-based rendering always uses its default error behavior, so any requested error clause cannot be honored and rendering fails. Remove the on-error clause or use a database with native json_table support.

Solutions

1. Remove the ON ERROR clause for CockroachDB.

When it happens

Trigger: Triggered when the application calls a Hibernate dialect feature that the configured database dialect cannot provide: Can't emulate on error clause on CockroachDB.

Common situations: Common when running against a database whose dialect lacks this capability, when a mapping or HQL/Criteria query requests unsupported functionality, or when the wrong dialect is configured for the database in use. Error: Can't emulate on error clause on CockroachDB.

AI-assisted analysis of hibernate/hibernate-orm@fad1729dce (2026-08-22). Data as JSON: /api/errors/0b2172a3b484d9c5. Report an issue: GitHub.

Appendix: source

Thrown at hibernate-core/src/main/java/org/hibernate/dialect/function/json/CockroachDBJsonTableFunction.java:145

				if ( isArray ) {
					sqlAppender.appendSql( ") with ordinality t" );
				}
				else {
					sqlAppender.appendSql( ",1)) t" );
				}
				sqlAppender.appendSql( clauseLevel + 1 );
				sqlAppender.appendSql( "(d,i) on true" );
				nextClauseLevel = renderNestedColumnJoins( sqlAppender, nestedColumnDefinition.columns(), clauseLevel + 1, walker );
			}
		}
		return nextClauseLevel;
	}

	@Override
	protected void renderJsonExistsColumnDefinition(SqlAppender sqlAppender, JsonTableExistsColumnDefinition definition, int clauseLevel, SqlAstTranslator<?> walker) {
		// jsonb_path_exists errors by default
		if ( definition.errorBehavior() != null && definition.errorBehavior() != JsonExistsErrorBehavior.ERROR ) {
			throw new QueryException( "Can't emulate on error clause on CockroachDB" );
		}
		final String jsonPath = definition.jsonPath() == null
				? "$." + definition.name()
				: definition.jsonPath();
		CockroachDBJsonExistsFunction.appendJsonExists(
				sqlAppender,
				new ClauseLevelDocumentExpression( clauseLevel ),
				JsonPathHelper.parseJsonPathElements( jsonPath ),
				true,
				null,
				walker
		);
		sqlAppender.appendSql( ' ' );
		sqlAppender.appendSql( definition.name() );
	}

	@Override
	protected void renderJsonQueryColumnDefinition(SqlAppender sqlAppender, JsonTableQueryColumnDefinition definition, int clauseLevel, SqlAstTranslator<?> walker) {

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