Issue Hive AvroSerDe tblProperties max length - hadoop

Question

I try to create a table with AvroSerDe.
I have already tried following command to create the table:
CREATE EXTERNAL TABLE gaSession
ROW FORMAT SERDE 'org.apache.hadoop.hive.serde2.avro.AvroSerDe'
STORED AS
INPUTFORMAT 'org.apache.hadoop.hive.ql.io.avro.AvroContainerInputFormat'
OUTPUTFORMAT 'org.apache.hadoop.hive.ql.io.avro.AvroContainerOutputFormat'
TBLPROPERTIES ('avro.schema.url'='hdfs://<<url>>:<<port>>/<<path>>/<<file>>.avsc');
The creation seems to work, but following table is generated:
hive> show create table gaSession;
OK
CREATE EXTERNAL TABLE `gaSession`(
`error_error_error_error_error_error_error` string COMMENT 'from deserializer',
`cannot_determine_schema` string COMMENT 'from deserializer',
`check` string COMMENT 'from deserializer',
`schema` string COMMENT 'from deserializer',
`url` string COMMENT 'from deserializer',
`and` string COMMENT 'from deserializer',
`literal` string COMMENT 'from deserializer')
ROW FORMAT SERDE
'org.apache.hadoop.hive.serde2.avro.AvroSerDe'
...
After it, I copied the definition and replaced 'avro.schema.url' with 'avro.schema.literal', but the table still doesn't work.
But when I delete some (random) fields, it works (e.g. with follwoing definition).
CREATE TABLE gaSession
ROW FORMAT SERDE 'org.apache.hadoop.hive.serde2.avro.AvroSerDe'
STORED AS
INPUTFORMAT 'org.apache.hadoop.hive.ql.io.avro.AvroContainerInputFormat'
OUTPUTFORMAT 'org.apache.hadoop.hive.ql.io.avro.AvroContainerOutputFormat'
TBLPROPERTIES ('avro.schema.literal'='{"type": "record",
"name": "root",
"fields": [
{
"name": "visitorId",
"type": [
"long",
"null"
]
},
{
"name": "visitNumber",
"type": [
"long",
"null"
]
},
{
"name": "visitId",
"type": [
"long",
"null"
]
},
{
"name": "visitStartTime",
"type": [
"long",
"null"
]
},
{
"name": "date",
"type": [
"string",
"null"
]
},
{
"name": "totals",
"type": [
{
"type": "record",
"name": "totals",
"fields": [
{
"name": "visits",
"type": [
"long",
"null"
]
},
{
"name": "hits",
"type": [
"long",
"null"
]
},
{
"name": "pageviews",
"type": [
"long",
"null"
]
},
{
"name": "timeOnSite",
"type": [
"long",
"null"
]
},
{
"name": "bounces",
"type": [
"long",
"null"
]
},
{
"name": "transactions",
"type": [
"long",
"null"
]
},
{
"name": "transactionRevenue",
"type": [
"long",
"null"
]
},
{
"name": "newVisits",
"type": [
"long",
"null"
]
},
{
"name": "screenviews",
"type": [
"long",
"null"
]
},
{
"name": "uniqueScreenviews",
"type": [
"long",
"null"
]
},
{
"name": "timeOnScreen",
"type": [
"long",
"null"
]
},
{
"name": "totalTransactionRevenue",
"type": [
"long",
"null"
]
}
]
},
"null"
]
}
]
}');
Has TBLPROPERTIES/avro.schema.literal has a max length or other limitations?
Hive-Version: 0.14.0

Answer 1

The Hortonworks support team confirmed, that there is 4000 character limit for tblproperties.
So, by removing whitespaces you're able to define a larger table. Otherwise, you have to work with 'avro.schema.url'.