n8n-io/n8n · error · TypeORMError

Column "${columnName}" was not found in table "${metadata.na

Error message

Column "${columnName}" was not found in table "${metadata.name}"

What it means

Inside EntityManager.callAggregateFun (used by sum/average/min/max), TypeORM resolves the requested column against entity metadata by propertyPath. If metadata.columns has no entry whose propertyPath matches the supplied columnName, it throws a TypeORMError naming the column and the table metadata. The lookup is purely on entity metadata — the underlying database schema is never consulted, so the error fires even when the DB column exists but isn't mapped.

Source

Thrown at packages/@n8n/typeorm/src/entity-manager/EntityManager.ts:948

	 */
	maximum<Entity extends ObjectLiteral>(
		entityClass: EntityTarget<Entity>,
		columnName: PickKeysByType<Entity, number>,
		where?: FindOptionsWhere<Entity> | FindOptionsWhere<Entity>[],
	): Promise<number | null> {
		return this.callAggregateFun(entityClass, 'MAX', columnName, where);
	}

	private async callAggregateFun<Entity extends ObjectLiteral>(
		entityClass: EntityTarget<Entity>,
		fnName: 'SUM' | 'AVG' | 'MIN' | 'MAX',
		columnName: PickKeysByType<Entity, number>,
		where: FindOptionsWhere<Entity> | FindOptionsWhere<Entity>[] = {},
	): Promise<number | null> {
		const metadata = this.connection.getMetadata(entityClass);
		const column = metadata.columns.find((item) => item.propertyPath === columnName);
		if (!column) {
			throw new TypeORMError(`Column "${columnName}" was not found in table "${metadata.name}"`);
		}

		const result = await this.createQueryBuilder(entityClass, metadata.name)
			.setFindOptions({ where })
			.select(`${fnName}(${this.connection.driver.escape(column.databaseName)})`, fnName)
			.getRawOne();
		return result[fnName] === null ? null : parseFloat(result[fnName]);
	}

	/**
	 * Finds entities that match given find options.
	 */
	async find<Entity extends ObjectLiteral>(
		entityClass: EntityTarget<Entity>,
		options?: FindManyOptions<Entity>,
	): Promise<Entity[]> {
		const metadata = this.connection.getMetadata(entityClass);
		return this.createQueryBuilder<Entity>(

View on GitHub (pinned to 5ac6606e81)

Solutions

Use the @Column property name on the entity, not the snake_case database column name.
Regenerate/sync the entity after schema changes (run the migration, then update the @Column decorator or rebuild metadata).
For nested/embedded values, pass the full property path, e.g. `'profile.score'`, and confirm the embeddable/relation is mapped.
Confirm the property is decorated with @Column (relations/getters are not aggregatable).

Example fix

// before - using DB column name
await manager.sum(Order, 'total_price');

// after - using the @Column property name
@Entity()
class Order {
  @Column() totalPrice!: number;
}
await manager.sum(Order, 'totalPrice');

Defensive patterns

Strategy: type-guard

Validate before calling

// Confirm the column exists in metadata before calling sum/avg/min/max
const meta = connection.getMetadata(Entity);
const valid = meta.columns.some(c => c.propertyPath === columnName);
if (!valid) throw new Error(`Refusing to aggregate: ${columnName} is not a mapped column`);
await manager.sum(Entity, columnName as any, where);

Type guard

function isMappedColumn<Entity>(meta: import('@n8n/typeorm').EntityMetadata<Entity>, name: string): boolean {
  return meta.columns.some(c => c.propertyPath === name);
}

Prevention

Always pass @Column property names, not DB column names.
Regenerate entities after schema migrations.
Type aggregate arguments via keyof Entity rather than string.
For embedded paths, use the full dotted property path.

When it happens

Trigger: Calling `manager.sum(Entity, 'totalPrice', ...)` where `totalPrice` is not a @Column-decorated property; passing a database column name instead of the TS property name; passing a nested path like `'profile.score'` when the relation/embeddable isn't mapped; querying a column added in a migration but not yet in the entity class; passing a getter or computed (non-persisted) property.

Common situations: Stale entity after a schema migration; mixing DB column names with property names; rename refactor that updated the DB but not the entity; querying an embedded column without the full dotted path.

Related errors

AI-assisted analysis of n8n-io/n8n@5ac6606e81 (2026-08-12). Data as JSON: /api/errors/4ad9fb0478da1ff9. Report an issue: GitHub.