prestodb/presto · error · SemanticException

INVALID_WINDOW_FRAME

INVALID_WINDOW_FRAME

Error message

Window frame start cannot be UNBOUNDED FOLLOWING

What it means

Analysis error from analyzeWindowFrame: the window frame's start bound was specified as UNBOUNDED FOLLOWING, which is logically incoherent (the frame cannot start at the end). Only a frame END may be unbounded following; the faulty input is the frame start specification in the OVER clause.

Source

Thrown at presto-main-base/src/main/java/com/facebook/presto/sql/analyzer/StatementAnalyzer.java:4211

                    analyzeWindowFrame(window.getFrame().get());
                }

                FunctionKind kind = functionAndTypeResolver.getFunctionMetadata(analysis.getFunctionHandle(windowFunction)).getFunctionKind();
                if (kind != AGGREGATE && kind != WINDOW) {
                    throw new SemanticException(MUST_BE_WINDOW_FUNCTION, node, "Not a window function: %s", windowFunction.getName());
                }
            }

            return windowFunctions;
        }

        private void analyzeWindowFrame(WindowFrame frame)
        {
            FrameBound.Type startType = frame.getStart().getType();
            FrameBound.Type endType = frame.getEnd().orElseGet(() -> new FrameBound(CURRENT_ROW)).getType();

            if (startType == UNBOUNDED_FOLLOWING) {
                throw new SemanticException(INVALID_WINDOW_FRAME, frame, "Window frame start cannot be UNBOUNDED FOLLOWING");
            }
            if (endType == UNBOUNDED_PRECEDING) {
                throw new SemanticException(INVALID_WINDOW_FRAME, frame, "Window frame end cannot be UNBOUNDED PRECEDING");
            }
            if ((startType == CURRENT_ROW) && (endType == PRECEDING)) {
                throw new SemanticException(INVALID_WINDOW_FRAME, frame, "Window frame starting from CURRENT ROW cannot end with PRECEDING");
            }
            if ((startType == FOLLOWING) && (endType == PRECEDING)) {
                throw new SemanticException(INVALID_WINDOW_FRAME, frame, "Window frame starting from FOLLOWING cannot end with PRECEDING");
            }
            if ((startType == FOLLOWING) && (endType == CURRENT_ROW)) {
                throw new SemanticException(INVALID_WINDOW_FRAME, frame, "Window frame starting from FOLLOWING cannot end with CURRENT ROW");
            }
        }

        private void analyzeHaving(QuerySpecification node, Scope scope)
        {
            if (node.getHaving().isPresent()) {

View on GitHub (pinned to 55bb57d202)

Solutions

1. Use UNBOUNDED PRECEDING or CURRENT ROW as the frame start
2. Swap the bounds: RANGE BETWEEN UNBOUNDED PRECEDING AND UNBOUNDED FOLLOWING
3. Omit the frame to use the default RANGE UNBOUNDED PRECEDING

When it happens

Trigger: Thrown at presto-main-base/src/main/java/com/facebook/presto/sql/analyzer/StatementAnalyzer.java:4211 when the library encounters an invalid state.

Common situations: See trigger scenarios.

AI-assisted analysis of prestodb/presto@55bb57d202 (2026-09-04). Data as JSON: /api/errors/465876802b454627. Report an issue: GitHub.