hibernate/hibernate-orm · error · MappingException

Logical column name cannot be null

Error message

Logical column name cannot be null

What it means

Error "Logical column name cannot be null" thrown in hibernate/hibernate-orm.

Source

Thrown at hibernate-core/src/main/java/org/hibernate/boot/internal/InFlightMetadataCollectorImpl.java:1163

	@Override
	public String getPhysicalColumnName(Table table, String logicalName) throws MappingException {
		final Identifier identifier = getDatabase().toIdentifier( logicalName );
		if ( identifier == null ) {
			throw new MappingException( String.format(
					Locale.ENGLISH,
					"Column with logical name '%s' in table '%s' cannot be mapped to column identifier",
					logicalName,
					table.getName()
			) );
		}
		return getPhysicalColumnName( table, identifier );
	}

	@Override
	public String getPhysicalColumnName(Table table, Identifier logicalName) throws MappingException {
		if ( logicalName == null ) {
			throw new MappingException( "Logical column name cannot be null" );
		}

		Table currentTable = table;
		while ( currentTable != null ) {
			final TableColumnNameBinding binding = columnNameBindingByTableMap.get( currentTable );
			if ( binding != null ) {
				final String physicalName = binding.logicalToPhysical.get( logicalName );
				if ( physicalName != null ) {
					return physicalName;
				}
			}
			currentTable =
					currentTable instanceof DenormalizedTable denormalizedTable
							? denormalizedTable.getIncludedTable()
							: null;
		}

		assert table != null;

View on GitHub (pinned to fad1729dce)

Solutions

1. Pass a non-null logical column name when looking up or registering a column mapping.
2. Check annotation/mapping configuration for a column definition with a missing or empty name.
3. Use @Column(name=...) explicitly if the implicit naming produces a null.

When it happens

Trigger: A null logical column name is passed when linking logical-to-physical column mappings.

Common situations: Internal binding of a mapping that did not produce a column name, typically a formula or an incomplete mapping annotation combination.

AI-assisted analysis of hibernate/hibernate-orm@fad1729dce (2026-08-22). Data as JSON: /api/errors/a239cc2c13bad410. Report an issue: GitHub.