pentaho/pentaho-kettle · error · KettleException

Unable to load job entry of type 'create file' from the…

Error message

Unable to load job entry of type 'create file' from the repository for id_jobentry=${id_jobentry}

What it means

JobEntryCreateFile.loadRep throws this KettleException when loading the 'create file' job entry's attributes from the Pentaho repository fails for the given id_jobentry. It wraps KettleException (typically database errors) raised by rep.getJobEntryAttributeString/Boolean.

Solutions

Check repository database connectivity and retry opening the job.
Re-save the job entry in Spoon to recreate missing attribute rows.
Verify repository schema version matches the Pentaho version (repair/upgrade repository).
Inspect the chained cause for the underlying SQL error.

Defensive patterns

Strategy: try-catch

Validate before calling

if (id_jobentry == null || id_jobentry.getId() <= 0) throw new IllegalArgumentException("id_jobentry must be a saved object id");
if (!rep.isConnected() && !rep.connect()) throw new IllegalStateException("Repository DB unreachable");

Try / catch

try {
  jobEntry.loadRep(rep, metaStore, id_jobentry, databases, slaveServers);
} catch (KettleException e) {
  logError("Repo load failed for create-file entry " + id_jobentry + ": " + e.getCause(), e);
  // reconnect and retry once, then apply defaults
}

Prevention

Confirm DB reachability before opening jobs from the repository
Run repository repair after failed saves to remove partial rows
Keep Pentaho client and repository schema versions in sync
Restore missing rows by re-saving the job in Spoon

When it happens

Trigger: Calling loadRep when reading 'filename', 'fail_if_file_exists' or 'add_filename_result' attributes fails — repository connection error, missing R_JOBENTRY_ATTRIBUTE rows, or DB-level failure for that id_jobentry.

Common situations: Repository DB temporarily unreachable when opening a job; rows purged/corrupted in the repository; schema version mismatch after upgrading Pentaho; restored repository backup missing recent rows.

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/ee46eca1b751820b. Report an issue: GitHub.

Appendix: source

Thrown at engine/src/main/java/org/pentaho/di/job/entries/createfile/JobEntryCreateFile.java:114

      super.loadXML( entrynode, databases, slaveServers );
      filename = XMLHandler.getTagValue( entrynode, "filename" );
      failIfFileExists = "Y".equalsIgnoreCase( XMLHandler.getTagValue( entrynode, "fail_if_file_exists" ) );
      addfilenameresult = "Y".equalsIgnoreCase( XMLHandler.getTagValue( entrynode, "add_filename_result" ) );

    } catch ( KettleXMLException xe ) {
      throw new KettleXMLException( "Unable to load job entry of type 'create file' from XML node", xe );
    }
  }

  public void loadRep( Repository rep, IMetaStore metaStore, ObjectId id_jobentry, List<DatabaseMeta> databases,
    List<SlaveServer> slaveServers ) throws KettleException {
    try {
      filename = rep.getJobEntryAttributeString( id_jobentry, "filename" );
      failIfFileExists = rep.getJobEntryAttributeBoolean( id_jobentry, "fail_if_file_exists" );
      addfilenameresult = rep.getJobEntryAttributeBoolean( id_jobentry, "add_filename_result" );

    } catch ( KettleException dbe ) {
      throw new KettleException(
        "Unable to load job entry of type 'create file' from the repository for id_jobentry=" + id_jobentry, dbe );
    }
  }

  public void saveRep( Repository rep, IMetaStore metaStore, ObjectId id_job ) throws KettleException {
    try {
      rep.saveJobEntryAttribute( id_job, getObjectId(), "filename", filename );
      rep.saveJobEntryAttribute( id_job, getObjectId(), "fail_if_file_exists", failIfFileExists );
      rep.saveJobEntryAttribute( id_job, getObjectId(), "add_filename_result", addfilenameresult );

    } catch ( KettleDatabaseException dbe ) {
      throw new KettleException( "Unable to save job entry of type 'create file' to the repository for id_job="
        + id_job, dbe );
    }
  }

  public void setFilename( String filename ) {
    this.filename = filename;

View on GitHub (pinned to f3058517a1)