pentaho/pentaho-kettle · error · KettleXMLException

JobEntryEvalTableContent.UnableLoadXML

Error message

JobEntryEvalTableContent.UnableLoadXML

What it means

JobEntryEvalTableContent.loadXML() reads this 'Evaluate rows number in a table' entry's settings (connection, schema, table, custom_sql, flags) from the job XML node; a KettleException is rethrown as KettleXMLException with localized message 'JobEntryEvalTableContent.UnableLoadXML'. It means the entry could not be deserialized from the .kjb file.

Solutions

  1. Inspect the chained KettleException for the failing element.
  2. Repair the job XML in Spoon, ensuring all expected tags (custom_sql, is_usevars, add_rows_result, clear_result_rows, etc.) are present.
  3. Re-export the job from a compatible Pentaho version.
  4. Verify referenced shared connections (DB metadata) resolve correctly.
Defensive patterns

Strategy: try-catch

Validate before calling

if (XMLHandler.getSubNode(entrynode, "custom_sql") == null) {
  throw new IllegalArgumentException("Missing custom_sql in EvalTableContent XML");
}

Try / catch

try {
  JobMeta meta = new JobMeta(jobFile, rep, metaStore);
} catch (KettleXMLException e) {
  logError("EvalTableContent load failed: " + e.getMessage(), e);
  // restore from backup or fix the job XML
}

Prevention

When it happens

Trigger: Loading a job XML containing a JobEntryEvalTableContent node where XMLHandler.getTagValue calls or the surrounding KettleException-throwing logic (e.g. super.loadXML or database metadata lookup) fails.

Common situations: Corrupted or hand-edited job XML; missing expected tags; XML from an incompatible Pentaho version; shared database connection referenced in the XML cannot be resolved.

Understand the failure class

Background: "failed to unmarshal" / json.Unmarshal errors: why parsing a response into a Go struct fails and how to fix it — this error's family across 23 libraries.

Related errors

AI-assisted analysis of pentaho/pentaho-kettle@f3058517a1 (2026-09-13). Data as JSON: /api/errors/3502b4972305a032. Report an issue: GitHub.

Appendix: source

Thrown at engine/src/main/java/org/pentaho/di/job/entries/evaluatetablecontent/JobEntryEvalTableContent.java:211

  public void loadXML( Node entrynode, List<DatabaseMeta> databases, List<SlaveServer> slaveServers,
    Repository rep, IMetaStore metaStore ) throws KettleXMLException {
    try {
      super.loadXML( entrynode, databases, slaveServers );
      String dbname = XMLHandler.getTagValue( entrynode, "connection" );
      connection = DatabaseMeta.findDatabase( databases, dbname );
      schemaname = XMLHandler.getTagValue( entrynode, "schemaname" );
      tablename = XMLHandler.getTagValue( entrynode, "tablename" );
      successCondition =
        getSucessConditionByCode( Const.NVL( XMLHandler.getTagValue( entrynode, "success_condition" ), "" ) );
      limit = Const.NVL( XMLHandler.getTagValue( entrynode, "limit" ), "0" );
      useCustomSQL = "Y".equalsIgnoreCase( XMLHandler.getTagValue( entrynode, "is_custom_sql" ) );
      useVars = "Y".equalsIgnoreCase( XMLHandler.getTagValue( entrynode, "is_usevars" ) );
      customSQL = XMLHandler.getTagValue( entrynode, "custom_sql" );
      addRowsResult = "Y".equalsIgnoreCase( XMLHandler.getTagValue( entrynode, "add_rows_result" ) );
      clearResultList = "Y".equalsIgnoreCase( XMLHandler.getTagValue( entrynode, "clear_result_rows" ) );

    } catch ( KettleException e ) {
      throw new KettleXMLException( BaseMessages.getString( PKG, "JobEntryEvalTableContent.UnableLoadXML" ), e );
    }
  }

  public void loadRep( Repository rep, IMetaStore metaStore, ObjectId id_jobentry, List<DatabaseMeta> databases,
    List<SlaveServer> slaveServers ) throws KettleException {
    try {
      connection = rep.loadDatabaseMetaFromJobEntryAttribute( id_jobentry, "connection", "id_database", databases );

      schemaname = rep.getJobEntryAttributeString( id_jobentry, "schemaname" );
      tablename = rep.getJobEntryAttributeString( id_jobentry, "tablename" );
      successCondition =
        getSuccessConditionByCode( Const.NVL(
          rep.getJobEntryAttributeString( id_jobentry, "success_condition" ), "" ) );
      limit = rep.getJobEntryAttributeString( id_jobentry, "limit" );
      useCustomSQL = rep.getJobEntryAttributeBoolean( id_jobentry, "is_custom_sql" );
      useVars = rep.getJobEntryAttributeBoolean( id_jobentry, "is_usevars" );
      addRowsResult = rep.getJobEntryAttributeBoolean( id_jobentry, "add_rows_result" );
      clearResultList = rep.getJobEntryAttributeBoolean( id_jobentry, "clear_result_rows" );

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