NoSuchTableException is the correct exception to use when a table is not in the catalog. NotFoundException is intended for cases where an expected file is missing (see the description <https://github.com/apache/iceberg/blob/main/api/src/main/java/org/apache/iceberg/exceptions/NotFoundException.java#L23C5-L23C73>). That is, if the table exists in the catalog but is corrupt because the metadata file is missing, then it may be NotFoundException. That's not the same as the table doesn't exist, so I'm not sure that we want to convert over to NoSuchTableException that might hide the error. And we definitely don't want to convert NoSuchTableException to NotFoundException. That would cause a lot of headaches.
On Tue, Sep 9, 2025 at 5:44 AM Ashok Krishna <ashok.rex.2...@gmail.com> wrote: > Hi Team, > I would like to bring up an issue I've identified regarding exception > handling in the Iceberg REST Catalog. > > Currently, if a table exists but its metadata file is missing, the *Iceberg > REST Catalog* returns a *NoSuchTableException*. I believe this behavior > is inconsistent with other catalogs, such as Glue and JDBC, which correctly > return a *NotFoundException* in this scenario. > > This inconsistency can lead to confusion and make client-side error > handling more complex. To address this, I've created a pull request that > changes the REST Catalog's behavior to align with the other catalogs, > ensuring a consistent *NotFoundException* is thrown when a table's > metadata file is missing. > > You can find the proposed change here: > https://github.com/apache/iceberg/pull/13143 > > Could you review and let me know if there are any questions/concerns? > > > Thanks, > Ashok >
