pentaho/pentaho-kettle · error · KettleException

Field could not be found in the input rows.

Error message

Field {0} could not be found in the input rows.

What it means

PentahoReportingOutput.processRow() resolves meta.getInputFileField() in the incoming row's metadata when 'use values from fields' is enabled. If indexOfValue returns < 0 the field is absent from the input rows, so it throws KettleException 'Field {0} could not be found in the input rows.' Note the source also contains an upstream copy-paste bug for the output field (it re-checks inputFieldIndex), so this exact throw fires for the input field.

Solutions

  1. Open the Pentaho Reporting Output step and correct the 'input file field' to a column that actually exists in the incoming stream.
  2. Check the preceding step(s) and ensure the filename column is produced with the exact same name and case.
  3. Use 'Get Fields' on the stream to verify available column names.
  4. If the field is genuinely missing, add/fix the upstream step that should supply it.

Example fix

// before
meta.setInputFileField("report_file"); // stream has "filename"
// after
meta.setInputFileField("filename"); // matches upstream column
Defensive patterns

Strategy: validation

Validate before calling

// before executing the transform, in code that builds the meta:
String inputField = meta.getInputFileField();
if (inputRowMeta.indexOfValue(inputField) < 0) {
  throw new IllegalStateException("input file field missing from stream: " + inputField);
}

Try / catch

try {
  step.processRow();
} catch (KettleException e) {
  if (e.getMessage().contains("could not be found in the input rows")) {
    // fix the field mapping in the step dialog and re-run
  } else { throw e; }
}

Prevention

When it happens

Trigger: Running the transformation with 'Use values from fields' enabled while the 'input file field' setting names a column that the previous step does not emit (renamed, deleted, wrong case, or stream changed upstream).

Common situations: Upstream step edited to drop/rename the filename column; field name typo or case mismatch; connecting the reporting step to a different hop than intended.

Understand the failure class

Background: Record Not Found Errors: "not found", RecordNotFound, and "was not found" — what they mean and how to fix them — this error's family across 28 libraries.

Related errors

AI-assisted analysis of pentaho/pentaho-kettle@f3058517a1 (2026-09-13). Data as JSON: /api/errors/2ee123b651ab49f6. Report an issue: GitHub.

Appendix: source

Thrown at plugins/pentaho-reporting/impl/src/main/java/org/pentaho/di/trans/steps/pentahoreporting/PentahoReportingOutput.java:133

    boolean result = true;

    // For every row we read, we execute a report
    //
    Object[] r = getRow();

    // All done, signal this to the next steps...
    //
    if ( r == null ) {
      setOutputDone();
      return false;
    }
    if ( first ) {
      first = false;

      if ( meta.getUseValuesFromFields() ) {
        data.inputFieldIndex = getInputRowMeta().indexOfValue( meta.getInputFileField() );
        if ( data.inputFieldIndex < 0 ) {
          throw new KettleException( BaseMessages.getString(
            PKG, "PentahoReportingOutput.Exception.CanNotFindField", meta.getInputFileField() ) );
        }
        data.outputFieldIndex = getInputRowMeta().indexOfValue( meta.getOutputFileField() );
        if ( data.inputFieldIndex < 0 ) {
          throw new KettleException( BaseMessages.getString(
            PKG, "PentahoReportingOutput.Exception.CanNotFindField", meta.getOutputFileField() ) );
        }
      }

    }
    performPentahoReportingBoot( log, getClass() );

    String sourceFilename = meta.getUseValuesFromFields()
      ? getInputRowMeta().getString( r, data.inputFieldIndex ) : meta.getInputFile();
    String targetFilename =  meta.getUseValuesFromFields()
      ? getInputRowMeta().getString( r, data.outputFieldIndex ) : meta.getOutputFile();
    processReport( r, sourceFilename, targetFilename, meta.getOutputProcessorType(), meta.getCreateParentfolder() );

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