StarRocks/starrocks

The error message for partition expr is not correct.

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#68567 opened on Jan 28, 2026

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 (3 comments) (0 reactions) (1 assignee)Java (5,717 stars) (1,246 forks)batch import
good first issuetype/bug

Description

Steps to reproduce the behavior (Required)

StarRocks > CREATE TABLE IF NOT EXISTS `test_schema_yq4hcg84`.`sr_mv_combo_a_src` 
(`order_id` BIGINT, `event_date` DATE, `customer_id` INT, `amount` DECIMAL(18, 2), `region` VARCHAR(50)) 
PRIMARY KEY (`order_id`, `event_date`) 
PARTITION BY `event_date`;
ERROR 1064 (HY000): Getting analyzing error. Detail message: The partition expr should base on key column.

StarRocks > CREATE TABLE IF NOT EXISTS `test_schema_yq4hcg84`.`sr_mv_combo_a_src` 
(`order_id` BIGINT, `event_date` DATE, `customer_id` INT, `amount` DECIMAL(18, 2), `region` VARCHAR(50)) 
PRIMARY KEY (`order_id`, `event_date`) 
PARTITION BY (`event_date`);
Query OK, 0 rows affected (0.03 sec)

The only diff is the parentheses for PARTITION BY.

  1. PARTITION BY event_date
  2. PARTITION BY (event_date)

Expected behavior (Required)

  1. According to the expression partitioning syntax, the first only should be success too.
  2. And error "The partition expr should base on key column" is not correct.

Real behavior (Required)

ERROR 1064 (HY000): Getting analyzing error. Detail message: The partition expr should base on key column. for the first create table statement.

StarRocks version (Required)

  • 3.5.8

Contributor guide

Tech stack
javasql
Domain
databasebackend
Issue type
bug
DifficultyEstimated implementation difficulty for a new contributor, from 1 for very small changes to 5 for expert-level work.
3
Estimated timeA rough time range for an experienced contributor to investigate, implement, test, and prepare a pull request.
half day
Activity statusHow available the issue appears right now: fresh, active, stale, blocked, or waiting on maintainer input.
blocked
ClarityHow clearly the issue explains the expected change, acceptance criteria, and next step.
clear
Prerequisites
Basic SQL knowledgeUnderstanding of StarRocks partitioning
Newbie friendlinessA 1-100 score estimating how approachable this issue is for first-time contributors.
60
Research direction
The issue is that the error message 'The partition expr should base on key column' is shown when using PARTITION BY `event date` without parentheses, but the correct behavior is to accept both forms. The fix likely involves modifying the parser or semantic analysis code to handle the missing parentheses case or improving the error message. Start by searching the codebase for the error message string. The relevant files are likely in the SQL parser or analyzer module. Check the current assignee's status and any ongoing discussion in the comments.