prestodb/presto · error · PrestoException

HIVE_UNSUPPORTED_FORMAT

HIVE_UNSUPPORTED_FORMAT

Error message

Attempted to build SQL for unknown S3SelectDataType

What it means

IonSqlQueryBuilder builds S3 Select SQL predicates from Presto tuple domains, and column names differ per S3SelectDataType (CSV uses positional s._N, JSON uses s.fieldName). If the data type enum has no handled case (i.e. an unsupported/unmapped S3SelectDataType reaches the builder), Presto throws HIVE_UNSUPPORTED_FORMAT. It is a defensive default branch, so hitting it means the connector is being used with a data type it cannot generate SQL for.

Source

Thrown at presto-hive/src/main/java/com/facebook/presto/hive/IonSqlQueryBuilder.java:106

        // WHERE clause
        List<String> clauses = toConjuncts(columns, tupleDomain);
        if (!clauses.isEmpty()) {
            sql.append(" WHERE ")
                    .append(Joiner.on(" AND ").join(clauses));
        }

        return sql.toString();
    }

    private String getFullyQualifiedColumnName(HiveColumnHandle column)
    {
        switch (s3SelectDataType) {
            case CSV:
                return format("s._%d", column.getHiveColumnIndex() + 1);
            case JSON:
                return format("s.%s", column.getName());
            default:
                throw new PrestoException(HIVE_UNSUPPORTED_FORMAT, "Attempted to build SQL for unknown S3SelectDataType");
        }
    }

    private List<String> toConjuncts(List<HiveColumnHandle> columns, TupleDomain<HiveColumnHandle> tupleDomain)
    {
        Builder<String> builder = builder();
        for (HiveColumnHandle column : columns) {
            Type type = column.getHiveType().getType(typeManager);
            if (tupleDomain.getDomains().isPresent() && isSupported(type)) {
                Domain domain = tupleDomain.getDomains().get().get(column);
                if (domain != null) {
                    builder.add(toPredicate(domain, type, column));
                }
            }
        }
        return builder.build();
    }

View on GitHub (pinned to 55bb57d202)

Solutions

1. Disable S3 Select pushdown for the table/session (set s3_select_pushdown_enabled=false or the connector config) so predicates are evaluated locally instead of via generated SQL.
2. Ensure the table's input format maps to CSV or JSON for S3 Select; convert unsupported formats (e.g. to JSON/CSV text) or use a regular Hive reader instead.
3. Upgrade Presto if a newer version supports the data type in IonSqlQueryBuilder.
4. If you control the code, add a case for the new S3SelectDataType in getFullyQualifiedColumnName.

Example fix

// before: pushdown enabled on unsupported format
SET SESSION s3_select_pushdown_enabled = true; SELECT * FROM s3_select_table WHERE col = 'x';

// after: fall back to normal reads
SET SESSION s3_select_pushdown_enabled = false; SELECT * FROM s3_select_table WHERE col = 'x';

-- Only enable S3 Select pushdown for CSV/JSON text tables
SELECT "{"$path"} p FROM s3_select_table LIMIT 1; -- inspect file format
SET SESSION s3_select_pushdown_enabled = <format is csv or json>;

boolean s3SelectSupported(S3SelectDataType t) {
    return t == S3SelectDataType.CSV || t == S3SelectDataType.JSON;
}

try {
    return runQuery(sql);
} catch (PrestoException e) {
    if ("HIVE_UNSUPPORTED_FORMAT".equals(e.getErrorCode().getName())) {
        return runQuery(sqlWithoutS3SelectPushdown);
    }
    throw e;
}

When it happens

Trigger: Reading a Hive table via the S3Select pushdown path (IonSqlQueryBuilder.getFullyQualifiedColumnName, invoked from toPredicate/column) where the configured S3SelectDataType is neither CSV nor JSON — e.g. a table format enabled for S3 Select pushdown that the builder doesn't support.

Common situations: Enabling S3 Select (hive.s3select-pushdown.enabled) against tables whose storage/text format maps to an unsupported S3SelectDataType; internal misconfiguration binding the wrong data type to the reader; running a Presto version where the format was added to the reader but not to SQL generation.

Related errors

• HIVE_UNSUPPORTED_FORMAT
• HIVE_UNSUPPORTED_FORMAT
• HIVE_UNSUPPORTED_FORMAT
• Can't handle type:
• GENERIC_INTERNAL_ERROR

AI-assisted analysis of prestodb/presto@55bb57d202 (2026-09-04). Data as JSON: /api/errors/4f2c0220af60e2e4. Report an issue: GitHub.