rdblue commented on code in PR #15630: URL: https://github.com/apache/iceberg/pull/15630#discussion_r3024897192
########## format/spec.md: ########## @@ -123,6 +139,35 @@ Tables do not require random-access writes. Once written, data and metadata file Tables do not require rename, except for tables that use atomic rename to implement the commit operation for new metadata files. +### Paths in Metadata + +Path strings stored in Iceberg metadata files are classified as one of two types: + +* **Absolute path** -- A path string that includes a [URI scheme](https://datatracker.ietf.org/doc/html/rfc3986#section-3.1) (e.g., `s3://`, `gs://`, `hdfs://`, `file:///`). Absolute paths are used as-is without modification. +* **Relative path** -- A path string that does not include a URI scheme. Relative paths must be resolved against the table's base location before use. + +Prior to v4, all path fields must contain absolute paths. Starting with v4, path fields may contain either absolute or relative paths. Directory navigation symbols (`.` and `..`) and other file system conventions are not supported in relative paths. Review Comment: Normalization is not supported across storage systems. For instance, in S3, `s3://bucket/a/b//c` is distinct from `s3://bucket/a/b/c`. We do not want to get involved with rewriting or normalizing paths because that causes issues: Iceberg can have two paths that are not equal but would normalize to the same thing. This is why Iceberg takes a hands-off approach: `FileIO` implementations are responsible for these weird cases. If paths are not supported (`b//c` or `b/../c` or `b/./c`) then the `FileIO` should reject them. Other `FileIO` implementations can (and should) support them. -- This is an automated message from the Apache Git Service. To respond to the message, please log on to GitHub and use the URL above to go to the specific comment. To unsubscribe, e-mail: [email protected] For queries about this service, please contact Infrastructure at: [email protected] --------------------------------------------------------------------- To unsubscribe, e-mail: [email protected] For additional commands, e-mail: [email protected]
