ETL Fails = "Illegal Number of Inputs"

TheBeard

I have an ETL that is scheduled to update once per day, but every time it runs automatically, I get a failure after about 10 seconds stating:

"Failed while executing. Illegal number of inputs. Expected one but got zero."

I usually can rerun it around 2-3 times manually and then it works. There are no errors that I can see in the ETL, and all the input datasets are valid.

I have scoured Google and cannot find anything on this failure. Any ideas?

JasonAltenburg

In 8 years of Domo I've not seen that behavior… I'd suggest opening a support ticket on that one!

TheBeard

@JasonAltenburg

It just started happening to another ETL now. I'll definitely open a ticket as soon as I figure out how! Thanks.

I will say that I've noticed it is only happening on some ETLs where I have a SQL tile. I'll review those tiles again to make sure there isn't anything funky. They are still in the beta phase, apparently.

david_cunningham

@TheBeard to open a ticket click on Blue Question Mark in the top right of Domo.

Then click on "Support", and enter your companies domain

You'll then be able to create a new case (support ticket)

ArborRose

1. Timing/Latency Issues with Input Datasets

• Problem: If the input datasets are updated by upstream processes (e.g., data imports, other ETLs, or connectors), there might be a timing issue where the ETL is triggered before these datasets are fully refreshed or populated.
• Solution: Adjust the schedule of your ETL to run slightly later, ensuring that the input datasets have been fully updated. You can also check if there are any data delays by reviewing the update logs of the input datasets.

2. Empty or Delayed Data Inputs

• Problem: Occasionally, one or more of the input datasets might be empty or not updated at the time the ETL runs, leading to a zero-input error.
• Solution: Implement a check within the ETL to verify that input datasets are populated before processing. If the datasets are empty, the ETL could be set to delay or retry after a certain interval.

3. ETL Schedule Conflicts

• Problem: If the ETL or its input datasets are involved in other processes that run at a similar time, there could be a conflict that causes the ETL to fail.
• Solution: Review the schedules of related processes to ensure there are no overlaps or conflicts. Stagger the ETL schedule to avoid any potential conflicts.

4. Dataset Connection Issues

• Problem: There could be transient connection issues with the datasets, especially if they are sourced from external systems or connectors.
• Solution: Investigate the health and reliability of the connections to your input datasets. If possible, build in retry logic within the ETL to handle these transient issues.

TheBeard

@ArborRose

I appreciate the detailed list. I would like to mention that this ETL has existed for some time with no issues. The problems started when I began consolidating multiple tiles (formula, select columns, etc) into fewer SQL tiles. I have, however, tweaked update timing a few times with no success.

I am also still reviewing each individual SQL tile to ensure proper syntax, as DOMO doesn't seem to always identify an error within the ETL when using SQL tiles (I'm assuming a result of still being in beta-mode).

Still no resolution. I have a few more things I would like to try, and if I continue to not have any success, I will open a support ticket. Thank you, @david_cunningham, for the instructions on how to do this.

Additionally, I should add that I can re-run the ETL as many times as I want, and it will fail every time. I have to go into the design view of the ETL, and then "Save and Run" for it to run successfully. This behavior is indicating to me that it may not be so much an issue with my SQL or timing, but with the underlying SQL tile development itself.

timehat

Yes, please submit this to Support for us to review. Thank you for testing the SQL tile!

TheBeard

@timehat

I have submitted the support ticket, case# 05886739. Should I mark this as resolved or wait for a resolution so I can update this post?