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Query metadata tables feature

From Hive and Impala, you can query Iceberg metadata tables as you would query a Hive table. For example, you can use projections, joins, filters, and so on.

The Apache Iceberg Iceberg metadata table types appear in the Apache Iceberg MetadataTableType enumerated list.

For more information about querying Iceberg metadata, see the Apache Iceberg Spark documentation.

Hive and Impala Syntax

To reference a metadata table, use the full name of the table as shown in the following syntax: 
<DATABASE_NAME>.<TABLE_NAME>.<METADATA_TABLE_NAME>

Hive and Impala Example

SELECT * FROM default.table_a.files;

Limitations

  • Impala does not support the following types: ARRAY, MAP, BINARY
  • Impala does not expand nested types by default when the you execute a SELECT *.
  • You cannot explore the tables in Hive or Impala . For example, you cannot list the available metadata tables or describe the tables.