pentaho/pentaho-kettle · error · KettleValueException

TO_DATE Couldn't convert String to Date

Error message

TO_DATE Couldn't convert String to Date

What it means

Thrown when the legacy Value str2dat/TO_DATE function's SimpleDateFormat.parse() of getString() fails. The value is reset to a null Date before rethrowing; the cause (usually unparseable text or a mismatched pattern in arg0) is appended to the message.

Solutions

1. Make the TO_DATE format pattern (arg0) match the actual layout of the input string
2. Clean or pre-trim the source string so it conforms to the expected date format
3. Handle null/blank input before calling TO_DATE

When it happens

Trigger: Thrown at core/src/main/java/org/pentaho/di/compatibility/Value.java:3168 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/7d4eee3ab9567e55. Report an issue: GitHub.

Appendix: source

Thrown at core/src/main/java/org/pentaho/di/compatibility/Value.java:3168

      SimpleDateFormat df = new SimpleDateFormat();

      DateFormatSymbols dfs = new DateFormatSymbols();
      if ( arg1 != null ) {
        dfs.setLocalPatternChars( arg1 );
      }
      if ( arg0 != null ) {
        df.applyPattern( arg0 );
      }

      try {
        value.setDate( df.parse( getString() ) );
        setType( VALUE_TYPE_DATE );
        setLength( -1, -1 );
      } catch ( Exception e ) {
        setType( VALUE_TYPE_DATE );
        setNull();
        throw new KettleValueException( "TO_DATE Couldn't convert String to Date" + e.toString() );
      }
    }
    return this;
  }

  // implement the TO_NUMBER function, arguments in args[]
  public Value str2num() throws KettleValueException {
    return str2num( null, null, null, null );
  }

  public Value str2num( String pattern ) throws KettleValueException {
    return str2num( pattern, null, null, null );
  }

  public Value str2num( String pattern, String decimal ) throws KettleValueException {
    return str2num( pattern, decimal, null, null );
  }

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