prestodb/presto · error · SemanticException

VIEW_PARSE_ERROR

VIEW_PARSE_ERROR

Error message

Failed parsing stored view '%s': %s

What it means

Stored views keep their SQL text; when queried, Presto re-parses that text with the session's parsing options. If parsing fails (ParsingException), the analyzer wraps it as VIEW_PARSE_ERROR naming the view and the parser's message. This means the persisted view definition is syntactically invalid for the current parser.

Source

Thrown at presto-main-base/src/main/java/com/facebook/presto/sql/analyzer/StatementAnalyzer.java:5257

                    .setCatalog(catalog.orElse(null))
                    .setSchema(schema.orElse(null))
                    .setTimeZoneKey(session.getTimeZoneKey())
                    .setLocale(session.getLocale())
                    .setRemoteUserAddress(session.getRemoteUserAddress().orElse(null))
                    .setUserAgent(session.getUserAgent().orElse(null))
                    .setClientInfo(session.getClientInfo().orElse(null))
                    .setStartTime(session.getStartTime());
            session.getConnectorProperties().forEach((connectorId, properties) -> properties.forEach((k, v) -> viewSessionBuilder.setConnectionProperty(connectorId, k, v)));
            return viewSessionBuilder.build();
        }

        private Query parseView(String view, QualifiedObjectName name, Node node)
        {
            try {
                return (Query) sqlParser.createStatement(view, createParsingOptions(session, warningCollector));
            }
            catch (ParsingException e) {
                throw new SemanticException(VIEW_PARSE_ERROR, node, "Failed parsing stored view '%s': %s", name, e.getMessage());
            }
        }

        private boolean isViewStale(List<ViewDefinition.ViewColumn> columns, Collection<Field> fields)
        {
            if (columns.size() != fields.size()) {
                return true;
            }

            List<Field> fieldList = ImmutableList.copyOf(fields);
            for (int i = 0; i < columns.size(); i++) {
                ViewDefinition.ViewColumn column = columns.get(i);
                Field field = fieldList.get(i);
                if (!column.getName().equalsIgnoreCase(field.getName().orElse(null)) ||
                        !areViewColumnTypesCompatible(column.getType(), field.getType())) {
                    return true;
                }
            }

View on GitHub (pinned to 55bb57d202)

Solutions

1. Check the wrapped ParsingException message for the exact syntax problem
2. Recreate the view with current Presto SQL syntax: DROP VIEW then CREATE VIEW
3. If the view came from another engine, rewrite its body in Presto-compatible SQL
4. Verify after upgrade that legacy views still parse (test with SELECT * FROM view)

Example fix

-- before (unsupported syntax in view body)
CREATE VIEW v AS SELECT a FROM t GROUP BY 1;
-- after
CREATE VIEW v AS SELECT a FROM t GROUP BY a;

// Parse view definitions with the same options before persisting:
try {
    sqlParser.createStatement(viewSql, createParsingOptions(session, warningCollector));
} catch (ParsingException e) {
    throw new IllegalArgumentException("View body does not parse: " + e.getErrorMessage());
}

try { return session.execute("SELECT * FROM " + viewName); }
catch (SemanticException e) {
    if (e.getCode() == VIEW_PARSE_ERROR) {
        throw new ViewParseException("Stored view SQL is invalid; recreate the view", e);
    } else { throw e; }
}

When it happens

Trigger: Querying a view whose stored definition fails sqlParser.createStatement (e.g. corrupted/legacy definition created by another engine or an old Presto syntax no longer accepted); thrown from parseView in StatementAnalyzer.

Common situations: Views created by a different engine (e.g. Hive) with dialect-specific syntax; Presto upgrade dropping legacy syntax support; manually edited metadata store corrupting the view text.

Related errors

• SYNTAX_ERROR
• INVALID_PRIVILEGE
• SYNTAX_ERROR
• VIEW_IS_RECURSIVE
• VIEW_IS_STALE

AI-assisted analysis of prestodb/presto@55bb57d202 (2026-09-04). Data as JSON: /api/errors/7095e1f3342fa83f. Report an issue: GitHub.