risingwavelabs/risingwave · error · SinkError::Config

intermediate.table.name is required for append-only sink

Error message

intermediate.table.name is required for append-only sink

What it means

In the Redshift sink's `validate`, a non-append-only (upsert/Debezium) sink must specify an intermediate CDC table (`cdc_table`, i.e. `intermediate.table.name`) used to stage changes. If the config lacks `cdc_table` while `is_append_only` is false, this SinkError::Config is returned.

Source

Thrown at src/connector/src/sink/snowflake_redshift/redshift.rs:221

    const SINK_NAME: &'static str = REDSHIFT_SINK;

    crate::impl_validate_sink_unknown_fields!();

    async fn validate(&self) -> Result<()> {
        if self.config.create_table_if_not_exists {
            let client = self.config.build_client()?;
            let schema = self.param.schema();
            let build_table_sql = build_create_table_sql(
                self.config.schema.as_deref(),
                &self.config.table,
                &schema,
                false,
            )?;
            client.execute_sql_sync(vec![build_table_sql]).await?;
            if !self.is_append_only {
                let cdc_table = self.config.cdc_table.as_ref().ok_or_else(|| {
                    SinkError::Config(anyhow!(
                        "intermediate.table.name is required for append-only sink"
                    ))
                })?;
                let cdc_schema_for_create = self
                    .config
                    .intermediate_schema
                    .as_deref()
                    .or(self.config.schema.as_deref());
                let build_cdc_table_sql =
                    build_create_table_sql(cdc_schema_for_create, cdc_table, &schema, true)?;
                client.execute_sql_sync(vec![build_cdc_table_sql]).await?;
            }
        }
        Ok(())
    }

    fn support_schema_change() -> bool {
        true

View on GitHub (pinned to 6469eb736d)

Solutions

1. Add `intermediate.table.name = '<cdc_table>'` to the sink properties
2. Create/use the intermediate staging table in Redshift that matches the sink schema
3. If the sink truly only inserts data, ensure it is declared append-only so cdc_table isn't required

Example fix

// before
WITH ( connector = 'redshift', ... )
-- after
WITH ( connector = 'redshift', ..., 'intermediate.table.name' = 'rw_cdc_table' )

// before creating a non-append-only redshift sink
if !is_append_only && !props.contains_key("intermediate.table.name") {
    return Err("intermediate.table.name is required for non-append-only redshift sink");
}

When it happens

Trigger: Creating a Redshift sink with data that contains updates/deletes (not append-only) without setting the `intermediate.table.name` property.

Common situations: Users creating an upsert sink from a source with primary keys but forgetting the intermediate table setting; migrating configs where the property was renamed.

Understand the failure class

Background: "is required", "must be set", "missing required field": configuration validation errors across open-source libraries — this error's family across 36 libraries.

Related errors

• SinkError::Config(anyhow!(e))
• Primary key columns not found. Please set the `primary_key`
• intermediate.table.name is required for non-append-only sink
• S3 configuration is required for S3 sink
• should have meta client

AI-assisted analysis of risingwavelabs/risingwave@6469eb736d (2026-09-11). Data as JSON: /api/errors/cc2160d0d339bf7d. Report an issue: GitHub.