prestodb/presto · error · SemanticException

NOT_SUPPORTED

NOT_SUPPORTED

Error message

'%s' is a materialized view, and ALTER COLUMN SET/DROP NOT NULL is not supported

What it means

AlterColumnNotNullTask detects that the relation targeted by ALTER COLUMN ... SET/DROP NOT NULL is a materialized view, whose schema is derived from the view definition and cannot have nullability constraints altered. The target name is formatted in; it is a not-supported semantic error, not corruption.

Source

Thrown at presto-main-base/src/main/java/com/facebook/presto/execution/AlterColumnNotNullTask.java:72

        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());
        }

        accessControl.checkCanAddConstraints(session.getRequiredTransactionId(), session.getIdentity(), session.getAccessControlContext(), tableName);

        TableHandle tableHandle = tableHandleOptional.get();
        String column = metadata.normalizeIdentifier(session, tableName.getCatalogName(), statement.getColumn().getValue());

        Map<String, ColumnHandle> columnHandles = metadata.getColumnHandles(session, tableHandle);
        ColumnHandle columnHandle = columnHandles.get(column);

View on GitHub (pinned to 55bb57d202)

Solutions

1. Recreate the materialized view with the desired nullability
2. Alter the underlying base table instead

When it happens

Trigger: Thrown at presto-main-base/src/main/java/com/facebook/presto/execution/AlterColumnNotNullTask.java:72 when the library encounters an invalid state.

Common situations: See trigger scenarios.

Understand the failure class

Background: Presto NOT_SUPPORTED error: what "not supported" means and how to fix it — this error's family across 3 libraries.

AI-assisted analysis of prestodb/presto@55bb57d202 (2026-09-04). Data as JSON: /api/errors/4c1b8e61668b89bb. Report an issue: GitHub.