[SPARK-54634][SQL] Add clear error message for empty IN predicate #53390
Conversation
This file contains hidden or bidirectional Unicode text that may be interpreted or compiled differently than what appears below. To review, open the file in an editor that reveals hidden Unicode characters.
Learn more about bidirectional Unicode characters
Contributor
allisonwang-db
left a comment
allisonwang-db
left a comment
There was a problem hiding this comment.
Thanks for making the error message better!
| exception = parseException(sql2), | ||
| condition = "PARSE_SYNTAX_ERROR", | ||
| parameters = Map("error" -> "'IN'", "hint" -> "")) | ||
| parameters = Map("error" -> "'INTO'", "hint" -> "")) |
Contributor
There was a problem hiding this comment.
What's the error message before and after this change for this test case?
Contributor
Author
There was a problem hiding this comment.
Hey Allison,
This is the before and after this change for this test case:
Before:
[scala> spark.sql("SELECT * FROM S WHERE C1 IN (INSERT INTO T VALUES (2))").show()
org.apache.spark.sql.catalyst.parser.ParseException:
[PARSE_SYNTAX_ERROR] Syntax error at or near 'IN'. SQLSTATE: 42601 (line 1, pos 25)
== SQL ==
SELECT * FROM S WHERE C1 IN (INSERT INTO T VALUES (2))
-------------------------^^^
at org.apache.spark.sql.catalyst.parser.ParseException.withCommand(parsers.scala:285)
at org.apache.spark.sql.catalyst.parser.AbstractParser.parse(parsers.scala:97)
at org.apache.spark.sql.execution.SparkSqlParser.parse(SparkSqlParser.scala:54)
at org.apache.spark.sql.catalyst.parser.AbstractSqlParser.parsePlan(AbstractSqlParser.scala:93)
at org.apache.spark.sql.classic.SparkSession.$anonfun$sql$5(SparkSession.scala:492)
at org.apache.spark.sql.catalyst.QueryPlanningTracker.measurePhase(QueryPlanningTracker.scala:148)
at org.apache.spark.sql.classic.SparkSession.$anonfun$sql$4(SparkSession.scala:491)
at org.apache.spark.sql.SparkSession.withActive(SparkSession.scala:804)
at org.apache.spark.sql.classic.SparkSession.sql(SparkSession.scala:490)
at org.apache.spark.sql.classic.SparkSession.sql(SparkSession.scala:504)
at org.apache.spark.sql.classic.SparkSession.sql(SparkSession.scala:513)
at org.apache.spark.sql.classic.SparkSession.sql(SparkSession.scala:91)
... 42 elided
After:
[scala> spark.sql("SELECT * FROM S WHERE C1 IN (INSERT INTO T VALUES (2))").show()
org.apache.spark.sql.catalyst.parser.ParseException:
[PARSE_SYNTAX_ERROR] Syntax error at or near 'INTO'. SQLSTATE: 42601 (line 1, pos 36)
== SQL ==
SELECT * FROM S WHERE C1 IN (INSERT INTO T VALUES (2))
------------------------------------^^^
at org.apache.spark.sql.catalyst.parser.ParseException.withCommand(parsers.scala:267)
at org.apache.spark.sql.catalyst.parser.AbstractParser.parse(parsers.scala:78)
at org.apache.spark.sql.execution.SparkSqlParser.super$parse(SparkSqlParser.scala:163)
at org.apache.spark.sql.execution.SparkSqlParser.$anonfun$parseInternal$1(SparkSqlParser.scala:163)
at org.apache.spark.sql.catalyst.trees.CurrentOrigin$.withOrigin(origin.scala:107)
at org.apache.spark.sql.execution.SparkSqlParser.parseInternal(SparkSqlParser.scala:163)
at org.apache.spark.sql.execution.SparkSqlParser.parseWithParameters(SparkSqlParser.scala:70)
at org.apache.spark.sql.execution.SparkSqlParser.parsePlanWithParameters(SparkSqlParser.scala:84)
at org.apache.spark.sql.classic.SparkSession.$anonfun$sql$6(SparkSession.scala:573)
at org.apache.spark.sql.catalyst.QueryPlanningTracker.measurePhase(QueryPlanningTracker.scala:148)
at org.apache.spark.sql.classic.SparkSession.$anonfun$sql$4(SparkSession.scala:572)
at org.apache.spark.sql.SparkSession.withActive(SparkSession.scala:804)
at org.apache.spark.sql.classic.SparkSession.sql(SparkSession.scala:563)
at org.apache.spark.sql.classic.SparkSession.sql(SparkSession.scala:591)
at org.apache.spark.sql.classic.SparkSession.sql(SparkSession.scala:682)
at org.apache.spark.sql.classic.SparkSession.sql(SparkSession.scala:92)
... 42 elided
Contributor
Author
There was a problem hiding this comment.
Hey @allisonwang-db , could you check this output and let me know, thanks!
allisonwang-db
approved these changes
Dec 26, 2025
Contributor
allisonwang-db
left a comment
allisonwang-db
left a comment
There was a problem hiding this comment.
Thanks for the fix. Much better error message.
Contributor
Author
|
Thanks for approving the changes, @allisonwang-db. Do you happen to know when this PR might be merged? |
Contributor
|
cc @cloud-fan |
cloud-fan
reviewed
Jan 7, 2026
| errorClass = "INVALID_SQL_SYNTAX.EMPTY_IN_PREDICATE", | ||
| messageParameters = Map( | ||
| "alternative" -> ("Consider using 'WHERE FALSE' if you need an always-false condition, " + | ||
| "or provide at least one value in the IN list.")), |
Contributor
There was a problem hiding this comment.
why pass the alternative as an error parameter, instead of just put it in the error message template?
Contributor
Author
There was a problem hiding this comment.
Looking back, it's quite possible to directly include this alternative in the error message template. Shall I make this change?
Contributor
Author
There was a problem hiding this comment.
Done, please check.
cloud-fan
approved these changes
Jan 7, 2026
Contributor
|
thanks, merging to master! |
Sign up for free
to join this conversation on GitHub.
Already have an account?
Sign in to comment
3 participants
Add this suggestion to a batch that can be applied as a single commit.
This suggestion is invalid because no changes were made to the code.
Suggestions cannot be applied while the pull request is closed.
Suggestions cannot be applied while viewing a subset of changes.
Only one suggestion per line can be applied in a batch.
Add this suggestion to a batch that can be applied as a single commit.
Applying suggestions on deleted lines is not supported.
You must change the existing code in this line in order to create a valid suggestion.
Outdated suggestions cannot be applied.
This suggestion has been applied or marked resolved.
Suggestions cannot be applied from pending reviews.
Suggestions cannot be applied on multi-line comments.
Suggestions cannot be applied while the pull request is queued to merge.
Suggestion cannot be applied right now. Please check back later.
What changes were proposed in this pull request?
This PR will address the issue SPARK-54634.
With this, I am adding a user-friendly error message when users write SQL queries with an empty IN clause, like: SELECT * FROM table WHERE col IN ()
Why are the changes needed?
When users write SQL with an empty IN clause, Spark currently produces a syntax error of subclass [PARSE_SYNTAX_ERROR], which leads the user to believe that their syntax is incorrect, whereas the actual issue is due to the absence of values for the IN clause. Hence, the current error message does not communicate the right intention to the user.
This change provides a clear, actionable error message that explains the actual problem
and suggests alternatives.
Example - Before:
Example - After:
Does this PR introduce any user-facing change?
Yes, users will now see a better error message.
Code executed:
spark.sql("SELECT * FROM range(10) WHERE id IN ()").show()Before output:
After output:
How was this patch tested?
Was this patch authored or co-authored using generative AI tooling?
Generated-by: Claude (Anthropic) - used for code assistance, test generation, and documentation.