prestodb/presto · error · PrestoException

ICEBERG_INCOMPATIBLE_VERSION

ICEBERG_INCOMPATIBLE_VERSION

Error message

Cannot read Iceberg manifest files for table format version %d (max supported: %d). Upgrade Presto to read this table.

What it means

The $manifests metadata table reads table manifests through Presto's Iceberg connector, which only supports Iceberg format versions up to MAX_FORMAT_VERSION_FOR_METADATA_TABLES. buildPages checks the table's current formatVersion from BaseTable operations; if the table was written with a newer format version than this Presto build supports, it throws PrestoException with ICEBERG_INCOMPATIBLE_VERSION instructing the user to upgrade Presto.

Source

Thrown at presto-iceberg/src/main/java/com/facebook/presto/iceberg/ManifestsTable.java:109

    public ConnectorTableMetadata getTableMetadata()
    {
        return tableMetadata;
    }

    @Override
    public ConnectorPageSource pageSource(ConnectorTransactionHandle transactionHandle, ConnectorSession session, TupleDomain<Integer> constraint)
    {
        if (!snapshotId.isPresent()) {
            return new FixedPageSource(ImmutableList.of());
        }
        return new FixedPageSource(buildPages(tableMetadata, icebergTable, snapshotId.get()));
    }

    private static List<Page> buildPages(ConnectorTableMetadata tableMetadata, Table icebergTable, long snapshotId)
    {
        int formatVersion = ((org.apache.iceberg.BaseTable) icebergTable).operations().current().formatVersion();
        if (formatVersion > MAX_FORMAT_VERSION_FOR_METADATA_TABLES) {
            throw new PrestoException(ICEBERG_INCOMPATIBLE_VERSION,
                    format("Cannot read Iceberg manifest files for table format version %d (max supported: %d). Upgrade Presto to read this table.",
                            formatVersion, MAX_FORMAT_VERSION_FOR_METADATA_TABLES));
        }

        PageListBuilder pagesBuilder = PageListBuilder.forTable(tableMetadata);

        Snapshot snapshot = icebergTable.snapshot(snapshotId);
        if (snapshot == null) {
            throw new PrestoException(ICEBERG_INVALID_METADATA, format("Snapshot ID [%s] does not exist for table: %s", snapshotId, icebergTable));
        }

        Map<Integer, PartitionSpec> partitionSpecsById = icebergTable.specs();

        snapshot.allManifests(icebergTable.io()).forEach(file -> {
            pagesBuilder.beginRow();
            pagesBuilder.appendVarchar(file.path());
            pagesBuilder.appendBigint(file.length());
            pagesBuilder.appendInteger(file.partitionSpecId());

View on GitHub (pinned to 55bb57d202)

Solutions

1. Upgrade Presto to a version whose Iceberg connector supports the table's format version, then re-run the query.
2. Downgrade the table back to a supported format version (e.g. via Spark `ALTER TABLE ... SET TBLPROPERTIES ('format-version'='2')`) if the newer features are not required.
3. Read the manifest data out-of-band with a tool/engine that supports the format version (Spark/Iceberg APIs) instead of Presto's metadata table.
4. Pin the writing engine to format-version=2 while Presto support for v3 is unavailable in your deployment.

Example fix

// before (Spark) — upgraded table beyond Presto support
ALTER TABLE catalog.db.t SET TBLPROPERTIES ('format-version'='3');
// after — keep compatible with current Presto
ALTER TABLE catalog.db.t SET TBLPROPERTIES ('format-version'='2');

SELECT format_version FROM "catalog.schema.table$snapshots" LIMIT 1; -- or check table properties; ensure it is <= the connector's supported max (e.g. 2) before querying $manifests

try {
    execute("SELECT * FROM \"catalog.db.t$manifests\"");
} catch (PrestoException e) {
    if ("ICEBERG_INCOMPATIBLE_VERSION".equals(e.getErrorCode().getName())) {
        // fall back to Spark/Iceberg API for this metadata table
    } else {
        throw e;
    }
}

When it happens

Trigger: Querying `SELECT * FROM "catalog.schema.table$manifests"` where the underlying table's metadata reports a formatVersion (e.g. 3) greater than the connector's max (e.g. 2) — typically a table created/upgraded by Spark 3.4+/Iceberg v2 writers supporting format version 3.

Common situations: A table migrated to Iceberg format v3 (deletion vectors, new manifest formats) while the Presto cluster still runs an older Iceberg connector; mixed-engine clusters where Spark upgraded the table but Presto wasn't upgraded in lockstep.

Related errors

• ICEBERG_INVALID_FORMAT_VERSION
• ICEBERG_INVALID_METADATA
• Not a Hive table:
• Unsupported bucket function type
• GENERIC_INTERNAL_ERROR

AI-assisted analysis of prestodb/presto@55bb57d202 (2026-09-04). Data as JSON: /api/errors/71adc352d5954692. Report an issue: GitHub.