prestodb/presto · error · SemanticException

TABLE_ALREADY_EXISTS

TABLE_ALREADY_EXISTS

Error message

Target table '%s' already exists

What it means

Validation in RenameTableTask.execute that checks the destination name before performing ALTER TABLE ... RENAME: a table handle is already registered for the target qualified name, so the rename would collide with an existing table.

Source

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

        if (!tableHandle.isPresent()) {
            if (!statement.isExists()) {
                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.isExists()) {
                throw new SemanticException(NOT_SUPPORTED, statement, "'%s' is a materialized view, and rename is not supported", tableName);
            }
            return immediateFuture(null);
        }

        QualifiedObjectName target = createQualifiedObjectName(session, statement, statement.getTarget(), metadata);
        getConnectorIdOrThrow(session, metadata, target.getCatalogName(), statement, targetTableCatalogError);
        if (metadata.getMetadataResolver(session).getTableHandle(target).isPresent()) {
            throw new SemanticException(TABLE_ALREADY_EXISTS, statement, "Target table '%s' already exists", target);
        }
        if (!tableName.getCatalogName().equals(target.getCatalogName())) {
            throw new SemanticException(NOT_SUPPORTED, statement, "Table rename across catalogs is not supported");
        }
        accessControl.checkCanRenameTable(session.getRequiredTransactionId(), session.getIdentity(), session.getAccessControlContext(), tableName, target);

        metadata.renameTable(session, tableHandle.get(), target);

        return immediateFuture(null);
    }
}

View on GitHub (pinned to 55bb57d202)

Solutions

1. Choose a different, unused target table name
2. Drop the existing target table first if it is no longer needed
3. Verify the intended target catalog and schema, since a same-name table may exist in another schema

When it happens

Trigger: Thrown at presto-main-base/src/main/java/com/facebook/presto/execution/RenameTableTask.java:72 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/3318321fddc7d107. Report an issue: GitHub.