pentaho/pentaho-kettle · error · KettleStepException

TableOutputDialog.FailedToFindField.Message

Error message

TableOutputDialog.FailedToFindField.Message

What it means

In TableOutputDialog's field-mapping logic, for each database insert field the code looks up the matching incoming stream field via prev.searchValueMeta(info.getFieldStream()[i]). If the lookup returns null — the named stream field is not present in the row metadata — this KettleStepException (TableOutputDialog.FailedToFindField.Message) is thrown naming the missing field.

Solutions

1. Reopen the Table Output dialog and rebuild the field mapping (or use 'Enter mapping'/'Get fields' again)
2. Fix the upstream step so it produces the expected field name
3. Remove or remap the stale field in the Table Output mapping grid
4. Verify with 'Preview' on the previous step which fields actually arrive

Example fix

// before: mapping expects field "cust_name"
String[] fieldStream = { "cust_name" }; // upstream renamed to customer_name -> throws
// after
String[] fieldStream = { "customer_name" }; // remapped to current upstream field

// Java: verify every mapped field exists in the incoming stream before applying
for ( String field : info.getFieldStream() ) {
  if ( prev.searchValueMeta( field ) == null ) throw new IllegalStateException( "Missing field: " + field );
}

boolean allFieldsPresent = java.util.Arrays.stream( info.getFieldStream() ).allMatch( f -> prev.searchValueMeta( f ) != null );

try { applyMapping(); } catch ( KettleStepException e ) { new ErrorDialog( shell, "Mapping failed", "Field not found in input", e ); }

When it happens

Trigger: Opening/applying the Table Output dialog when a saved field mapping references an input stream field that no longer exists (renamed, removed upstream, or field order/type changed and cache is stale).

Common situations: Upstream step renamed a field after Table Output was configured; deleted a column; switching table output mapping between transformations; stale 'Enter mapping' metadata persisted in the transformation.

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

• IngresVectorWiseLoaderDialog.FailedToFindField.Message
• JsonInput.Exception.CouldnotFindField
• ScriptValuesDialogMod.Exception.CouldNotGetFields
• TableOutput.Exception.FailedToFindField
• TableOutput.Exception.FieldRequired

AI-assisted analysis of pentaho/pentaho-kettle@f3058517a1 (2026-09-13). Data as JSON: /api/errors/52f857c09dd86602. Report an issue: GitHub.

Appendix: source

Thrown at ui/src/main/java/org/pentaho/di/ui/trans/steps/tableoutput/TableOutputDialog.java:1464

        int idx = prev.indexOfValue( info.getTableNameField() );
        if ( idx >= 0 ) {
          prev.removeValueMeta( idx );
        }
      }
      StepMeta stepMeta = transMeta.findStep( stepname );

      if ( info.specifyFields() ) {
        // Only use the fields that were specified.
        RowMetaInterface prevNew = new RowMeta();

        for ( int i = 0; i < info.getFieldDatabase().length; i++ ) {
          ValueMetaInterface insValue = prev.searchValueMeta( info.getFieldStream()[i] );
          if ( insValue != null ) {
            ValueMetaInterface insertValue = insValue.clone();
            insertValue.setName( info.getFieldDatabase()[i] );
            prevNew.addValueMeta( insertValue );
          } else {
            throw new KettleStepException( BaseMessages.getString(
              PKG, "TableOutputDialog.FailedToFindField.Message", info.getFieldStream()[i] ) );
          }
        }
        prev = prevNew;
      }

      boolean autoInc = false;
      String pk = null;

      // Add the auto-increment field too if any is present.
      //
      if ( info.isReturningGeneratedKeys() && !Utils.isEmpty( info.getGeneratedKeyField() ) ) {
        ValueMetaInterface valueMeta = new ValueMetaInteger( info.getGeneratedKeyField() );
        valueMeta.setLength( 15 );
        prev.addValueMeta( 0, valueMeta );
        autoInc = true;
        pk = info.getGeneratedKeyField();
      }

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