pentaho/pentaho-kettle · error · KettleValueException

Function STR2NUM works only on strings

Error message

Function STR2NUM works only on strings

What it means

Guard at the top of the legacy Value str2num() function: the value being converted is not of String type, so the string-to-number parser refuses to run. The input at fault is the current Value whose type is not VALUE_TYPE_STRING.

Solutions

1. Ensure the field passed to STR2NUM is a String
2. Convert the value to String first if it originates from another type

When it happens

Trigger: Thrown at core/src/main/java/org/pentaho/di/compatibility/Value.java:3242 when the library encounters an invalid state.

Common situations: See trigger scenarios.

AI-assisted analysis of pentaho/pentaho-kettle@f3058517a1 (2026-09-13). Data as JSON: /api/errors/3f3681d6588af4b3. Report an issue: GitHub.

Appendix: source

Thrown at core/src/main/java/org/pentaho/di/compatibility/Value.java:3242

          } catch ( Exception e ) {
            String message = "Couldn't convert string to number " + e.toString();
            if ( !Utils.isEmpty( pattern ) ) {
              message += " pattern=" + pattern;
            }
            if ( !Utils.isEmpty( decimal ) ) {
              message += " decimal=" + decimal;
            }
            if ( !Utils.isEmpty( grouping ) ) {
              message += " grouping=" + grouping.charAt( 0 );
            }
            if ( !Utils.isEmpty( currency ) ) {
              message += " currency=" + currency;
            }
            throw new KettleValueException( message );
          }
        }
      } else {
        throw new KettleValueException( "Function STR2NUM works only on strings" );
      }
    }
    return this;
  }

  public Value dat2num() throws KettleValueException {
    if ( isNull() ) {
      setType( VALUE_TYPE_INTEGER );
      return this;
    }

    if ( getType() == VALUE_TYPE_DATE ) {
      if ( getString() == null ) {
        setNull();
        setValue( 0L );
      } else {
        setValue( getInteger() );
      }

View on GitHub (pinned to f3058517a1)