pentaho/pentaho-kettle · error · InvocationTargetException

GetJobSQLProgressDialog.RuntimeError.UnableToGenerateSQL.Exception

GetJobSQLProgressDialog.RuntimeError.UnableToGenerateSQL.Exception

Error message

GetJobSQLProgressDialog.RuntimeError.UnableToGenerateSQL.Exception

What it means

GetJobSQLProgressDialog runs jobMeta.getSQLStatements(repository, monitor) on a background thread to generate the SQL needed by a job. Any KettleException is wrapped in an InvocationTargetException with localized message GetJobSQLProgressDialog.RuntimeError.UnableToGenerateSQL.Exception (the wrapped e.getMessage() is substituted).

Solutions

  1. Inspect the wrapped KettleException message to find which job entry failed.
  2. Verify every job entry's referenced transformation/job exists and is resolvable.
  3. Reconnect to the repository and retry SQL generation.
  4. Fix database metadata entries referenced by job entries.

Example fix

// before
JobEntryTrans entry = ...; entry.setFilename("missing.ktr");
// after
entry.setFilename("/valid/path/exists.ktr"); // reference must exist before SQL generation
Defensive patterns

Strategy: validation

Validate before calling

for (JobEntryCopy copy : jobMeta.getJobEntries()) {
  JobEntryInterface je = copy.getEntry();
  if (je instanceof JobEntryTrans) {
    String f = ((JobEntryTrans) je).getFilename();
    if (f != null && !new File(f).exists()) {
      throw new IllegalStateException("Job entry references missing transformation: " + f);
    }
  }
}

Try / catch

try {
  new GetJobSQLProgressDialog(shell, jobMeta, repository).open();
} catch (Exception e) {
  log.error("Job SQL generation failed: ", e);
}

Prevention

When it happens

Trigger: Opening the job SQL generation dialog when a job entry or the job metadata cannot produce SQL statements: a job entry referencing a missing transformation/file, or an invalid/null repository handle.

Common situations: Job entries pointing to transformations or files that no longer exist; repository connection lost; invalid database metadata used by job entries.

Understand the failure class

Background: "File not found" and ENOENT errors: why libraries can't find a file that should exist — this error's family across 50 libraries.

Related errors

AI-assisted analysis of pentaho/pentaho-kettle@f3058517a1 (2026-09-13). Data as JSON: /api/errors/e965acdd34a3c42e. Report an issue: GitHub.

Appendix: source

Thrown at ui/src/main/java/org/pentaho/di/ui/spoon/dialog/GetJobSQLProgressDialog.java:67

  public GetJobSQLProgressDialog( Shell shell, JobMeta jobMeta, Repository repository ) {
    this.shell = shell;
    this.jobMeta = jobMeta;
    this.repository = repository;

  }

  public List<SQLStatement> open() {
    IRunnableWithProgress op = new IRunnableWithProgress() {
      public void run( IProgressMonitor monitor ) throws InvocationTargetException, InterruptedException {
        // This is running in a new process: copy some KettleVariables info
        // LocalVariables.getInstance().createKettleVariables(Thread.currentThread(), kettleVariables.getLocalThread(),
        // true);
        // --> don't set variables if not running in different thread --> pmd.run(true,true, op);

        try {
          stats = jobMeta.getSQLStatements( repository, new ProgressMonitorAdapter( monitor ) );
        } catch ( KettleException e ) {
          throw new InvocationTargetException( e, BaseMessages.getString(
            PKG, "GetJobSQLProgressDialog.RuntimeError.UnableToGenerateSQL.Exception", e.getMessage() ) ); // Error
                                                                                                           // generating
                                                                                                           // SQL for
                                                                                                           // job:
                                                                                                           // \n{0}
        }
      }
    };

    try {
      ProgressMonitorDialog pmd = new ProgressMonitorDialog( shell );
      pmd.run( false, false, op );
    } catch ( InvocationTargetException e ) {
      new ErrorDialog( shell, BaseMessages.getString( PKG, "GetJobSQLProgressDialog.Dialog.UnableToGenerateSQL.Title" ),
        BaseMessages.getString( PKG, "GetJobSQLProgressDialog.Dialog.UnableToGenerateSQL.Message" ), e );
      stats = null;
    } catch ( InterruptedException e ) {
      new ErrorDialog( shell, BaseMessages.getString( PKG, "GetJobSQLProgressDialog.Dialog.UnableToGenerateSQL.Title" ),

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