prestodb/presto · error · UnsupportedOperationException

Unsupported column type:

Error message

Unsupported column type: 

What it means

GenericHiveRecordCursor.parseColumn dispatches to a type-specific parser based on the column's Hive type (long, decimal, etc.). If the column's Type is not one of the supported families, it throws UnsupportedOperationException 'Unsupported column type: <type>'. The Hive record-cursor reader path simply does not implement parsing for that type.

Source

Thrown at presto-hive/src/main/java/com/facebook/presto/hive/GenericHiveRecordCursor.java:573

            parseStringColumn(column);
        }
        else if (isCharType(type)) {
            parseStringColumn(column);
        }
        else if (isStructuralType(hiveTypes[column])) {
            parseObjectColumn(column);
        }
        else if (DATE.equals(type)) {
            parseLongColumn(column);
        }
        else if (TIMESTAMP.equals(type)) {
            parseLongColumn(column);
        }
        else if (type instanceof DecimalType) {
            parseDecimalColumn(column);
        }
        else {
            throw new UnsupportedOperationException("Unsupported column type: " + type);
        }
    }

    private void validateType(int fieldId, Class<?> type)
    {
        if (!types[fieldId].getJavaType().equals(type)) {
            // we don't use Preconditions.checkArgument because it requires boxing fieldId, which affects inner loop performance
            throw new IllegalArgumentException(String.format("Expected field to be %s, actual %s (field %s)", type, types[fieldId], fieldId));
        }
    }

    @Override
    public void close()
    {
        // some hive input formats are broken and bad things can happen if you close them multiple times
        if (closed) {
            return;
        }

View on GitHub (pinned to 55bb57d202)

Solutions

1. Upgrade Presto so the record cursor supports the column type
2. Rewrite the table to a supported format (ORC/Parquet) and/or supported column types
3. Cast or restructure the offending column into a supported type (e.g. store as varchar)
4. Force the newer native/ORC reader path instead of the generic Hive record cursor

Example fix

-- before
CREATE TABLE t (d interval) ...;
-- after: store as a supported type
CREATE TABLE t (d varchar) ...;

// check column types before scanning via the generic record cursor
for (ColumnHandle col : columns) {
    Type t = types.get(col);
    if (!(t instanceof BigintType || t instanceof DecimalType || t instanceof VarcharType /* ... */)) {
        throw new IllegalStateException("Record cursor cannot read column type: " + t);
    }
}

boolean recordCursorSupported(Type t) {
    return t instanceof BigintType || t instanceof IntegerType || t instanceof DecimalType
        || t instanceof VarcharType || t instanceof BooleanType || t instanceof DoubleType || t instanceof DateType;
}

try {
    cursor.isNull(field);
} catch (UnsupportedOperationException e) {
    if (e.getMessage().startsWith("Unsupported column type:")) {
        // switch to the ORC/Parquet page-source reader or exclude the column
    }
    throw e;
}

When it happens

Trigger: Scanning a Hive table (record cursor path) with a column whose type falls outside the implemented set — e.g. interval, certain complex or newly added types — via isNull/parseColumn during row reads.

Common situations: Reading exotic Hive column types with the generic record reader, tables created by newer engines with types Presto's record cursor predates, or misdeclared column types.

Related errors

• Unexpected column type
• HIVE_BAD_DATA
• Expected field to be %s, actual %s (field %s)
• unknown java type
• NOT_SUPPORTED

AI-assisted analysis of prestodb/presto@55bb57d202 (2026-09-04). Data as JSON: /api/errors/15e4f2720cce8119. Report an issue: GitHub.