pentaho/pentaho-kettle · error · KettleDatabaseException

Unable to get next value for sequence :

Error message

Unable to get next value for sequence : 

What it means

getNextSequenceValue executes 'SELECT <sequence>.NEXTVAL' (or dialect equivalent) and wraps any SQLException from executeQuery as KettleDatabaseException('Unable to get next value for sequence : ' + schemaSequence). It means the sequence query itself failed against the database.

Solutions

1. Verify the sequence exists: run the nextval SELECT manually with the same user
2. Check the schema-qualification in the sequence name (schema.sequence)
3. Grant SELECT on the sequence to the connecting user
4. Confirm the database type in the connection metadata matches the actual DB so the correct sequence SQL dialect is used
5. Create the missing sequence in the target database

// verify sequence exists before use
try (ResultSet rs = database.getConnection().createStatement()
    .executeQuery("SELECT sequence_name FROM user_sequences WHERE sequence_name = 'MYSEQ'")) {
  if (!rs.next()) throw new IllegalStateException("Sequence MYSEQ missing");
}

try {
  Long next = database.getNextSequenceValue(null, "MYSEQ", "id");
} catch (KettleDatabaseException e) {
  throw new IllegalStateException("Check sequence existence/privileges: " + e.getCause().getMessage());
}

When it happens

Trigger: Calling Database.getNextSequenceValue(schema, sequenceName, keyfield) where the SELECT nextval query throws SQLException: sequence does not exist, no SELECT privilege on the sequence, schema name wrong, or the dialect's sequence SQL is invalid for the target DB.

Common situations: Typo in sequence name or schema; sequence created in another schema without synonym; user lacking SELECT on the sequence; moving a transformation between databases where the sequence doesn't exist; using sequence support with a DB that has none configured.

Understand the failure class

Background: "query failed", "%w: SQL error" — wrapped database query errors in Go libraries explained — this error's family across 3 libraries.

Related errors

• AddSequence.Exception.ErrorReadingSequence
• An error occurred executing SQL:
• Couldn't execute SQL:
• Couldn't find any rows because of an error :
• Couldn't find maximum key value from table

AI-assisted analysis of pentaho/pentaho-kettle@f3058517a1 (2026-09-13). Data as JSON: /api/errors/14b8c46884a5f686. Report an issue: GitHub.

Appendix: source

Thrown at core/src/main/java/org/pentaho/di/core/database/Database.java:1471

  public Long getNextSequenceValue( String schemaName, String sequenceName, String keyfield )
    throws KettleDatabaseException {
    Long retval = null;

    String schemaSequence = databaseMeta.getQuotedSchemaTableCombination( schemaName, sequenceName );

    try {
      if ( pstmtSeq == null ) {
        pstmtSeq =
          connection.prepareStatement( databaseMeta.getSeqNextvalSQL( databaseMeta.stripCR( schemaSequence ) ) );
      }
      try ( ResultSet rs = pstmtSeq.executeQuery() ) {
        if ( rs.next() ) {
          retval = rs.getLong( 1 );
        }
      }
    } catch ( SQLException ex ) {
      throw new KettleDatabaseException( "Unable to get next value for sequence : " + schemaSequence, ex );
    }

    return retval;
  }

  public void insertRow( String tableName, RowMetaInterface fields, Object[] data ) throws KettleDatabaseException {
    insertRow( null, tableName, fields, data );
  }

  public void insertRow( String schemaName, String tableName, RowMetaInterface fields, Object[] data )
    throws KettleDatabaseException {
    prepareInsert( fields, schemaName, tableName );
    setValuesInsert( fields, data );
    insertRow();
    closeInsert();
  }

  public String getInsertStatement( String tableName, RowMetaInterface fields ) {

View on GitHub (pinned to f3058517a1)