diff --git a/src/backend/statistics/extended_stats.c b/src/backend/statistics/extended_stats.c
index d2b9f6a..3deabc4 100644
--- a/src/backend/statistics/extended_stats.c
+++ b/src/backend/statistics/extended_stats.c
@@ -44,8 +44,8 @@ typedef struct StatExtEntry
 
 
 static List *fetch_statentries_for_relation(Relation pg_statext, Oid relid);
-static VacAttrStats **lookup_var_attr_stats(Relation rel, Bitmapset *attrs,
-					  int natts, VacAttrStats **vacattrstats);
+static VacAttrStats **lookup_var_attr_stats(Relation rel, Bitmapset *stakeys,
+								int nvacatts, VacAttrStats **vacattrstats);
 static void statext_store(Relation pg_stext, Oid relid,
 			  MVNDistinct *ndistinct,
 			  VacAttrStats **stats);
@@ -77,10 +77,14 @@ BuildRelationExtStatistics(Relation onerel, double totalrows,
 		VacAttrStats  **stats;
 		ListCell	   *lc2;
 
-		/* filter only the interesting vacattrstats records */
+		/* check if we can build these stats based on the column analyzed */
 		stats = lookup_var_attr_stats(onerel, stat->columns,
 									  natts, vacattrstats);
 
+		/* nope, skip it */
+		if (!stats)
+			continue;
+
 		/* check allowed number of dimensions */
 		Assert(bms_num_members(stat->columns) >= 2 &&
 			   bms_num_members(stat->columns) <= STATS_MAX_DIMENSIONS);
@@ -191,31 +195,33 @@ fetch_statentries_for_relation(Relation pg_statext, Oid relid)
 }
 
 /*
- * Using 'vacattrstats' of size 'natts' as input data, return a newly built
- * VacAttrStats array which includes only the items corresponding to attributes
- * indicated by 'attrs'.
+ * Using 'vacattrstats' of size 'nvacatts' as input data, return a newly built
+ * VacAttrStats array which includes only the items corresponding to
+ * attributes indicated by 'stakeys'. If we don't have all of the per column
+ * stats available to compute the extended stats, then we return NULL to indicate
+ * to the caller that the stats should not be built.
  */
 static VacAttrStats **
-lookup_var_attr_stats(Relation rel, Bitmapset *attrs, int natts,
+lookup_var_attr_stats(Relation rel, Bitmapset *stakeys, int nvacatts,
 					  VacAttrStats **vacattrstats)
 {
 	int			i = 0;
-	int			x = -1;
+	int			key;
 	VacAttrStats **stats;
-	Bitmapset  *matched = NULL;
 
 	stats = (VacAttrStats **)
-		palloc(bms_num_members(attrs) * sizeof(VacAttrStats *));
+		palloc(bms_num_members(stakeys) * sizeof(VacAttrStats *));
 
 	/* lookup VacAttrStats info for the requested columns (same attnum) */
-	while ((x = bms_next_member(attrs, x)) >= 0)
+	key = -1;
+	while ((key = bms_next_member(stakeys, key)) >= 0)
 	{
 		int		j;
 
 		stats[i] = NULL;
-		for (j = 0; j < natts; j++)
+		for (j = 0; j < nvacatts; j++)
 		{
-			if (x == vacattrstats[j]->tupattnum)
+			if (key == vacattrstats[j]->tupattnum)
 			{
 				stats[i] = vacattrstats[j];
 				break;
@@ -223,29 +229,24 @@ lookup_var_attr_stats(Relation rel, Bitmapset *attrs, int natts,
 		}
 
 		if (!stats[i])
-			ereport(ERROR,
-					(errcode(ERRCODE_INVALID_OBJECT_DEFINITION),
-					 errmsg("extended statistics could not be collected for column \"%s\" of relation %s.%s",
-							NameStr(RelationGetDescr(rel)->attrs[x - 1]->attname),
-							get_namespace_name(rel->rd_rel->relnamespace),
-							RelationGetRelationName(rel)),
-					 errhint("Consider ALTER TABLE \"%s\".\"%s\" ALTER \"%s\" SET STATISTICS -1",
-							 get_namespace_name(rel->rd_rel->relnamespace),
-							 RelationGetRelationName(rel),
-							 NameStr(RelationGetDescr(rel)->attrs[x - 1]->attname))));
-
-		/*
-		 * Check that we found a non-dropped column and that the attnum
-		 * matches.
-		 */
+		{
+			/*
+			 * Looks like stats were not gathered for one of the columns
+			 * required. We'll be unable to build the extended stats without
+			 * this column.
+			 */
+			pfree(stats);
+			return NULL;
+		}
+
+		 /*
+		  * Sanity check that the column is not dropped - stats should have
+		  * been removed in this case.
+		  */
 		Assert(!stats[i]->attr->attisdropped);
-		matched = bms_add_member(matched, stats[i]->tupattnum);
 
 		i++;
 	}
-	if (bms_subset_compare(matched, attrs) != BMS_EQUAL)
-		elog(ERROR, "could not find all attributes in attribute stats array");
-	bms_free(matched);
 
 	return stats;
 }
diff --git a/src/test/regress/expected/stats_ext.out b/src/test/regress/expected/stats_ext.out
index 8fe96d6..031edbd 100644
--- a/src/test/regress/expected/stats_ext.out
+++ b/src/test/regress/expected/stats_ext.out
@@ -34,17 +34,6 @@ Statistics:
     "public.ab1_b_c_stats" WITH (ndistinct) ON (b, c)
 
 DROP TABLE ab1;
--- Ensure things work sanely with SET STATISTICS 0
-CREATE TABLE ab1 (a INTEGER, b INTEGER);
-ALTER TABLE ab1 ALTER a SET STATISTICS 0;
-INSERT INTO ab1 SELECT a, a%23 FROM generate_series(1, 1000) a;
-CREATE STATISTICS ab1_a_b_stats ON (a, b) FROM ab1;
-ANALYZE ab1;
-ERROR:  extended statistics could not be collected for column "a" of relation public.ab1
-HINT:  Consider ALTER TABLE "public"."ab1" ALTER "a" SET STATISTICS -1
-ALTER TABLE ab1 ALTER a SET STATISTICS -1;
-ANALYZE ab1;
-DROP TABLE ab1;
 -- n-distinct tests
 CREATE TABLE ndistinct (
     filler1 TEXT,
diff --git a/src/test/regress/sql/stats_ext.sql b/src/test/regress/sql/stats_ext.sql
index 4faaf88..f0fdf9f 100644
--- a/src/test/regress/sql/stats_ext.sql
+++ b/src/test/regress/sql/stats_ext.sql
@@ -28,17 +28,6 @@ ALTER TABLE ab1 DROP COLUMN a;
 \d ab1
 DROP TABLE ab1;
 
--- Ensure things work sanely with SET STATISTICS 0
-CREATE TABLE ab1 (a INTEGER, b INTEGER);
-ALTER TABLE ab1 ALTER a SET STATISTICS 0;
-INSERT INTO ab1 SELECT a, a%23 FROM generate_series(1, 1000) a;
-CREATE STATISTICS ab1_a_b_stats ON (a, b) FROM ab1;
-ANALYZE ab1;
-ALTER TABLE ab1 ALTER a SET STATISTICS -1;
-ANALYZE ab1;
-DROP TABLE ab1;
-
-
 -- n-distinct tests
 CREATE TABLE ndistinct (
     filler1 TEXT,