pentaho/pentaho-kettle · warning · KettleDatabaseException

Database.Exception.UnableToReleaseSavepoint

Error message

Database.Exception.UnableToReleaseSavepoint

What it means

Thrown by Database.releaseSavepoint(Savepoint) (Database.java:5106) when connection.releaseSavepoint() fails with a SQLException. Releasing a savepoint discards it so its undo no longer applies; failure usually means the savepoint or transaction is no longer valid.

Solutions

  1. Only release savepoints while the same transaction is still active (before commit/rollback)
  2. Track savepoint state and skip release when it was already invalidated by rollback(savepoint)
  3. Guard the release in try-catch and log — a failed release is rarely fatal after a successful rollback
  4. Ensure the Savepoint object originated from this same connection
  5. Check driver support for savepoints before using them

Example fix

// before
connection.commit();
database.releaseSavepoint( savepoint );
// after
if ( savepoint != null && !transactionFinished ) {
  database.releaseSavepoint( savepoint );
}
database.commit();
Defensive patterns

Strategy: try-catch

Validate before calling

boolean canRelease = savepoint != null && !transactionCommitted && !transactionRolledBack;
if ( canRelease ) {
  database.releaseSavepoint( savepoint );
}

Try / catch

try {
  database.releaseSavepoint( savepoint );
} catch ( KettleDatabaseException e ) {
  log.debug( "Savepoint release failed (already invalidated?)", e ); // non-fatal after rollback
}

Prevention

When it happens

Trigger: Calling Database.releaseSavepoint() after the transaction was already committed/rolled back, after the savepoint was already released, or with a savepoint from a different/closed connection.

Common situations: Committing then still releasing the savepoint; rolling back to a savepoint then releasing it (already invalidated); connection pool returning the connection mid-transaction; distributed XA connections where savepoints are unsupported.

Understand the failure class

Background: Database query failed: Internal Server Error 500s wrapping SQL, Prisma, and connection failures — what to check first — this error's family across 16 libraries.

Related errors

AI-assisted analysis of pentaho/pentaho-kettle@f3058517a1 (2026-09-13). Data as JSON: /api/errors/7518425c7d4a16da. Report an issue: GitHub.

Appendix: source

Thrown at core/src/main/java/org/pentaho/di/core/database/Database.java:5106

      throw new KettleDatabaseException(
        BaseMessages.getString( PKG, "Database.Exception.UnableToSetSavepoint" ), e );
    }
  }

  public Savepoint setSavepoint( String savePointName ) throws KettleDatabaseException {
    try {
      return connection.setSavepoint( savePointName );
    } catch ( SQLException e ) {
      throw new KettleDatabaseException( BaseMessages.getString(
        PKG, "Database.Exception.UnableToSetSavepointName", savePointName ), e );
    }
  }

  public void releaseSavepoint( Savepoint savepoint ) throws KettleDatabaseException {
    try {
      connection.releaseSavepoint( savepoint );
    } catch ( SQLException e ) {
      throw new KettleDatabaseException( BaseMessages.getString(
        PKG, "Database.Exception.UnableToReleaseSavepoint" ), e );
    }
  }

  public void rollback( Savepoint savepoint ) throws KettleDatabaseException {
    try {
      connection.rollback( savepoint );
    } catch ( SQLException e ) {
      throw new KettleDatabaseException( BaseMessages.getString(
        PKG, "Database.Exception.UnableToRollbackToSavepoint" ), e );
    }
  }

  public Object getParentObject() {
    return parentLoggingObject;
  }

  /**

View on GitHub (pinned to f3058517a1)