pentaho/pentaho-kettle · error · KettleException

SASInputMeta.Exception.UnexpectedErrorReadingMetaDataFromRepository

SASInputMeta.Exception.UnexpectedErrorReadingMetaDataFromRepository

Error message

SASInputMeta.Exception.UnexpectedErrorReadingMetaDataFromRepository

What it means

readRep loads SasInputMeta from a repository (instead of XML); if reading step attributes or constructing SasInputField entries fails, it wraps the exception in a KettleException with the localized message 'SASInputMeta.Exception.UnexpectedErrorReadingMetaDataFromRepository'.

Solutions

  1. Check the chained cause for the repository failure (connection, SQL, missing rows).
  2. Verify repository connectivity and that R_* tables exist and are up to date for the Pentaho version.
  3. Reopen and re-save the step's metadata to repopulate attributes.
  4. Recreate the step in the transformation if repository attributes are corrupt or missing.

Example fix

// before: repository missing 'field_name' attribute rows for the step
// after: open the step in Spoon, reselect fields, and save back to the repository
Defensive patterns

Strategy: try-catch

Validate before calling

// Verify repository health before loading metadata
if (!rep.isConnected()) throw new IllegalStateException("Repository not connected");
if (!rep.getSecurityProvider() != null && !stepExists(rep, stepId)) throw new IllegalStateException("Step attributes missing in repository");

Try / catch

try {
  stepMeta.readRep(rep, metaStore, stepId, databases);
} catch (KettleException e) {
  if (e.getMessage().contains("UnexpectedErrorReadingMetaDataFromRepository")) {
    // check repository connectivity/schema, then recreate or re-save the step metadata
  }
  throw e;
}

Prevention

When it happens

Trigger: Exception thrown in readRep while querying repository step attributes (rep.countNrStepAttributes, attribute lookups) or building SasInputField(rep, stepId, i) — e.g. repository connection issues or missing attribute rows.

Common situations: Repository database unavailable or schema out of sync with the Pentaho version; step metadata partially deleted from the repository; plugin version mismatch where saved attribute keys changed; permission problems on repository tables.

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/3330441263fb859b. Report an issue: GitHub.

Appendix: source

Thrown at engine/src/main/java/org/pentaho/di/trans/steps/sasinput/SasInputMeta.java:137

    for ( SasInputField field : outputFields ) {
      retval.append( XMLHandler.openTag( XML_TAG_FIELD ) );
      retval.append( field.getXML() );
      retval.append( XMLHandler.closeTag( XML_TAG_FIELD ) );
    }

    return retval.toString();
  }

  public void readRep( Repository rep, IMetaStore metaStore, ObjectId stepId, List<DatabaseMeta> databases ) throws KettleException {
    try {
      acceptingField = rep.getStepAttributeString( stepId, "accept_field" );
      outputFields = new ArrayList<SasInputField>();
      int nrFields = rep.countNrStepAttributes( stepId, "field_name" );
      for ( int i = 0; i < nrFields; i++ ) {
        outputFields.add( new SasInputField( rep, stepId, i ) );
      }
    } catch ( Exception e ) {
      throw new KettleException( BaseMessages.getString(
        PKG, "SASInputMeta.Exception.UnexpectedErrorReadingMetaDataFromRepository" ), e );
    }
  }

  public void saveRep( Repository rep, IMetaStore metaStore, ObjectId id_transformation, ObjectId id_step ) throws KettleException {
    try {
      rep.saveStepAttribute( id_transformation, id_step, "accept_field", acceptingField );
      for ( int i = 0; i < outputFields.size(); i++ ) {
        outputFields.get( i ).saveRep( rep, metaStore, id_transformation, id_step, i );
      }
    } catch ( Exception e ) {
      throw new KettleException( BaseMessages.getString(
        PKG, "SASInputMeta.Exception.UnableToSaveMetaDataToRepository" )
        + id_step, e );
    }
  }

  public void check( List<CheckResultInterface> remarks, TransMeta transMeta, StepMeta stepMeta,

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