prestodb/presto · error · SemanticException

MISSING_TABLE

MISSING_TABLE

Error message

Table '%s' does not exist

What it means

Thrown by AlterColumnNotNullTask.execute when ALTER TABLE ... ALTER COLUMN ... SET NOT NULL targets a table whose handle is not present in the metadata resolver and the statement lacks an IF EXISTS clause. The column-level NOT NULL alteration requires an existing table.

Source

Thrown at presto-main-base/src/main/java/com/facebook/presto/execution/AlterColumnNotNullTask.java:64

import static com.google.common.util.concurrent.Futures.immediateFuture;

public class AlterColumnNotNullTask
        implements DDLDefinitionTask<AlterColumnNotNull>
{
    @Override
    public String getName()
    {
        return "ALTER COLUMN NOT NULL";
    }

    @Override
    public ListenableFuture<?> execute(AlterColumnNotNull statement, TransactionManager transactionManager, Metadata metadata, AccessControl accessControl, Session session, List<Expression> parameters, WarningCollector warningCollector, String query)
    {
        QualifiedObjectName tableName = createQualifiedObjectName(session, statement, statement.getTable(), metadata);
        Optional<TableHandle> tableHandleOptional = metadata.getMetadataResolver(session).getTableHandle(tableName);
        if (!tableHandleOptional.isPresent()) {
            if (!statement.isTableExists()) {
                throw new SemanticException(MISSING_TABLE, statement, "Table '%s' does not exist", tableName);
            }
            return immediateFuture(null);
        }

        Optional<MaterializedViewDefinition> optionalMaterializedView = metadata.getMetadataResolver(session).getMaterializedView(tableName);
        if (optionalMaterializedView.isPresent()) {
            if (!statement.isTableExists()) {
                throw new SemanticException(NOT_SUPPORTED, statement, "'%s' is a materialized view, and ALTER COLUMN SET/DROP NOT NULL is not supported", tableName);
            }
            return immediateFuture(null);
        }

        ConnectorId connectorId = metadata.getCatalogHandle(session, tableName.getCatalogName())
                .orElseThrow(() -> new PrestoException(NOT_FOUND, "Catalog does not exist: " + tableName.getCatalogName()));
        Set<ConnectorCapabilities> connectorCapabilities = metadata.getConnectorCapabilities(session, connectorId);
        if (!connectorCapabilities.contains(ALTER_COLUMN) || !connectorCapabilities.contains(NOT_NULL_COLUMN_CONSTRAINT)) {
            throw new SemanticException(NOT_SUPPORTED, statement, "Catalog %s does not support ALTER COLUMN with NOT NULL", connectorId.getCatalogName());
        }

View on GitHub (pinned to 55bb57d202)

Solutions

1. Confirm the table exists in the target catalog/schema (SHOW TABLES, SHOW CREATE TABLE)
2. Fix the qualified table name in the statement
3. Apply the change in the correct environment/catalog

Example fix

// before
ALTER TABLE hive.default.order ALTER COLUMN id SET NOT NULL;
// after
ALTER TABLE hive.default.orders ALTER COLUMN id SET NOT NULL;

QualifiedObjectName tableName = createQualifiedObjectName(session, statement, statement.getTable(), metadata);
if (metadata.getMetadataResolver(session).getTableHandle(tableName).isEmpty() && !statement.isTableExists()) {
    throw new SemanticException(MISSING_TABLE, statement, "Table '%s' does not exist", tableName);
}

boolean tableExists(Metadata metadata, Session session, QualifiedObjectName name) {
    return metadata.getMetadataResolver(session).getTableHandle(name).isPresent();
}

try {
    executeAlterColumnNotNull(statement);
} catch (SemanticException e) {
    if (e.getCode() == MISSING_TABLE) {
        throw new UserError("Target table for SET NOT NULL not found; verify catalog.schema.table", e);
    }
    throw e;
}

When it happens

Trigger: `ALTER TABLE cat.schema.t ALTER COLUMN c SET NOT NULL` where the table handle is absent — table missing, misspelled, in the wrong catalog/schema, or dropped concurrently.

Common situations: Typos or stale names in migration scripts; pointing at the wrong environment's catalog; case-sensitivity mismatches for identifiers.

Related errors

• MISSING_TABLE
• MISSING_TABLE
• MISSING_TABLE
• MISSING_TABLE
• MISSING_COLUMN

AI-assisted analysis of prestodb/presto@55bb57d202 (2026-09-04). Data as JSON: /api/errors/d3abd38298851be3. Report an issue: GitHub.