prestodb/presto · error · SemanticException

MISSING_SCHEMA

MISSING_SCHEMA

Error message

Schema '${schemaName}' does not exist

What it means

After confirming the catalog exists, visitShowTables checks that the requested schema exists in that catalog via metadataResolver.schemaExists. If not, a SemanticException MISSING_SCHEMA is thrown naming the schema.

Source

Thrown at presto-main-base/src/main/java/com/facebook/presto/sql/rewrite/ShowQueriesRewrite.java:244

                    node.isAnalyze(),
                    node.isVerbose(),
                    statement,
                    node.getOptions());
        }

        @Override
        protected Node visitShowTables(ShowTables showTables, Void context)
        {
            CatalogSchemaName schema = createCatalogSchemaName(session, showTables, showTables.getSchema(), metadata);

            accessControl.checkCanShowTablesMetadata(session.getRequiredTransactionId(), session.getIdentity(), session.getAccessControlContext(), schema);

            if (!metadataResolver.catalogExists(schema.getCatalogName())) {
                throw new SemanticException(MISSING_CATALOG, showTables, "Catalog '%s' does not exist", schema.getCatalogName());
            }

            if (!metadataResolver.schemaExists(schema)) {
                throw new SemanticException(MISSING_SCHEMA, showTables, "Schema '%s' does not exist", schema.getSchemaName());
            }

            Expression predicate = equal(identifier("table_schema"), new StringLiteral(schema.getSchemaName()));

            Optional<String> likePattern = showTables.getLikePattern();
            if (likePattern.isPresent()) {
                Expression likePredicate = new LikePredicate(
                        identifier("table_name"),
                        new StringLiteral(likePattern.get()),
                        showTables.getEscape().map(StringLiteral::new));
                predicate = logicalAnd(predicate, likePredicate);
            }

            return simpleQuery(
                    selectList(aliasedName("table_name", "Table")),
                    from(schema.getCatalogName(), TABLE_TABLES),
                    predicate,
                    ordering(ascending("table_name")));

View on GitHub (pinned to 55bb57d202)

Solutions

  1. Check the schema name spelling and case; quote it if needed.
  2. List valid schemas with `SHOW SCHEMAS FROM <catalog>` to confirm the correct name.
  3. Create the schema if it should exist (`CREATE SCHEMA ...`).
  4. Point the session at the right catalog that actually contains the schema.

Example fix

// before
SHOW TABLES FROM hive.sales  -- schema missing
// after
SHOW SCHEMAS FROM hive;  -- find correct name, e.g.
SHOW TABLES FROM hive.default
Defensive patterns

Strategy: validation

Validate before calling

// Check schema exists before SHOW TABLES
List<Row> rows = client.execute("SHOW SCHEMAS FROM " + catalog).getRows();
if (rows.stream().noneMatch(r -> r.get(0).equals(schemaName))) {
    throw new IllegalArgumentException("Schema not found: " + schemaName);
}

Try / catch

try {
    session.execute("SHOW TABLES FROM " + catalog + "." + schema);
} catch (SemanticException e) {
    if (e.getCode() == SemanticErrorCode.MISSING_SCHEMA) {
        // fall back to default schema or report to user
    } else throw e;
}

Prevention

When it happens

Trigger: Running `SHOW TABLES FROM <existing_catalog>.<schema>` where the schema does not exist in that catalog (or `SHOW TABLES` with session catalog set and a nonexistent session schema).

Common situations: Typo in schema name; querying a schema that was dropped; case-sensitivity assumptions (Presto schemas are case-sensitive lowercase by default); environment drift between dev and prod.

Related errors

AI-assisted analysis of prestodb/presto@55bb57d202 (2026-09-04). Data as JSON: /api/errors/3cf21e4c9680a209. Report an issue: GitHub.