> Use when handling database errors in Frappe/ERPNext. Covers DuplicateEntryError, LinkValidationError, MandatoryError, TimestampMismatchError, CharacterLengthExceededError, InReadOnlyMode, QueryTimeoutError, SQL injection errors, frappe.db.sql parameter format (% vs %s), get_value returning None, transaction deadlocks, MariaDB gone away, too many connections. Error-to-fix mapping for v14/v15/v16. SQL injection, deadlock, MariaDB gone away, query timeout.
npx skills add https://github.com/Impertio-Studio/Frappe_Claude_Skill_Package --skill frappe-errors-database
Cross-ref: frappe-core-database (API syntax), frappe-errors-controllers (controller errors).
| Error / Exception | HTTP | Cause | Fix |
|-------------------|------|-------|-----|
| DuplicateEntryError | 409 | Unique constraint violation on insert/rename | Check existence first OR catch and return existing |
| DoesNotExistError | 404 | get_doc() on missing record | Use frappe.db.exists() first OR catch exception |
| LinkValidationError | 417 | Link field points to non-existent record | Validate link target exists before save |
| LinkExistsError | N/A | Delete blocked by linked documents | Show linked docs to user; use force=True carefully |
| MandatoryError | 417 | Required field is empty on save | Set all mandatory fields before insert/save |
| TimestampMismatchError | N/A | Concurrent edit detected (modified changed) | Reload doc and retry, or inform user to refresh |
| CharacterLengthExceededError | 417 | String exceeds field maxlength / DB column size | Truncate input or increase field length |
| DataTooLongException | 417 | Value exceeds DB column storage capacity | Same as CharacterLengthExceededError |
| InReadOnlyMode | 503 | Write attempted during read-only mode | Check frappe.flags.in_import or site config |
| QueryTimeoutError | N/A | Query exceeded time limit [v15+] | Add indexes, reduce result set, paginate |
| QueryDeadlockError | N/A | Two transactions waiting on each other | Retry with backoff; reduce transaction scope |
| TooManyWritesError | N/A | Excessive writes in single request | Batch operations; use background jobs |
| InternalError (gone away) | N/A | MariaDB connection dropped | Reconnect with frappe.db.connect() |
| InternalError (too many) | N/A | Connection pool exhausted | Check max_connections; close idle connections |
| ValidationError | 417 | General validation failure in save | Read error message; fix field values |
| SQL syntax error | N/A | Wrong frappe.db.sql() parameter format | Use %(name)s with dict, NOT %s with tuple |
Exception
├── frappe.ValidationError (HTTP 417)
│ ├── frappe.MandatoryError
│ ├── frappe.LinkValidationError
│ ├── frappe.CharacterLengthExceededError
│ ├── frappe.DataTooLongException
│ ├── frappe.UniqueValidationError
│ ├── frappe.UpdateAfterSubmitError
│ └── frappe.DataError
├── frappe.DoesNotExistError (HTTP 404)
├── frappe.DuplicateEntryError (HTTP 409) ← inherits NameError
├── frappe.TimestampMismatchError
├── frappe.LinkExistsError
├── frappe.QueryTimeoutError
├── frappe.QueryDeadlockError
├── frappe.TooManyWritesError
├── frappe.InReadOnlyMode (HTTP 503)
└── frappe.db.InternalError ← MariaDB/Postgres driver error
# ❌ WRONG — %s with positional tuple (works but fragile)
frappe.db.sql("SELECT * FROM `tabItem` WHERE name = %s", ("ITEM-001",))
# ❌ WRONG — f-string or .format() — SQL INJECTION!
frappe.db.sql(f"SELECT * FROM `tabItem` WHERE name = '{item_name}'")
frappe.db.sql("SELECT * FROM `tabItem` WHERE name = '{}'".format(item_name))
# ❌ WRONG — bare % operator
frappe.db.sql("SELECT * FROM `tabItem` WHERE name = '%s'" % item_name)
# ✅ CORRECT — named parameters with dict (ALWAYS use this)
frappe.db.sql(
"SELECT * FROM `tabItem` WHERE name = %(name)s AND warehouse = %(wh)s",
{"name": item_name, "wh": warehouse},
as_dict=True
)
# ✅ CORRECT — frappe.qb (query builder, no injection risk)
Item = frappe.qb.DocType("Item")
result = (
frappe.qb.from_(Item)
.select(Item.name, Item.item_name)
.where(Item.warehouse == warehouse)
.run(as_dict=True)
)
Rule: ALWAYS use %(name)s with a dict parameter. NEVER use string formatting for SQL values.
# ❌ DANGEROUS — get_value returns None, not raises
credit = frappe.db.get_value("Customer", "CUST-001", "credit_limit")
if credit > 1000: # TypeError: '>' not supported between NoneType and int
pass
# ✅ CORRECT — handle None explicitly
credit = frappe.db.get_value("Customer", "CUST-001", "credit_limit")
if credit is None:
frappe.throw(_("Customer not found"))
credit = credit or 0 # Default to 0 if field is empty
# ✅ CORRECT — get_value with as_dict for multiple fields
data = frappe.db.get_value("Customer", "CUST-001",
["credit_limit", "disabled"], as_dict=True)
if not data: # None when record not found
frappe.throw(_("Customer not found"))
if data.disabled:
frappe.throw(_("Customer is disabled"))
Key behavior by method:
| Method | Record Not Found | Empty Field |
|--------|-----------------|-------------|
| get_doc() | Raises DoesNotExistError | Returns field default |
| get_value() | Returns None | Returns None or "" |
| get_all() | Returns [] | Included in result |
| exists() | Returns False | N/A |
| set_value() | Silently does nothing | N/A |
| db.sql() | Returns [] or () | Included in result |
# Pattern: Insert with duplicate handling
def create_or_get(doctype, data):
try:
doc = frappe.get_doc({"doctype": doctype, **data})
doc.insert()
return doc
except frappe.DuplicateEntryError:
# Race condition safe: someone else created it
name = frappe.db.get_value(doctype, data, "name")
return frappe.get_doc(doctype, name)
# Pattern: Concurrent edit detection
try:
doc = frappe.get_doc("Sales Invoice", name)
doc.update(updates)
doc.save()
except frappe.TimestampMismatchError:
frappe.throw(
_("Document modified by another user. Please refresh and try again."),
title=_("Concurrent Edit")
)
# Pattern: Pre-validate before save
def safe_create_invoice(data):
errors = []
# Check mandatory fields
if not data.get("customer"):
errors.append(_("Customer is required"))
if not data.get("items"):
errors.append(_("At least one item is required"))
# Check link validity
if data.get("customer"):
if not frappe.db.exists("Customer", data["customer"]):
errors.append(_("Customer '{0}' not found").format(data["customer"]))
if errors:
frappe.throw("<br>".join(errors))
doc = frappe.get_doc({"doctype": "Sales Invoice", **data})
doc.insert()
return doc
# Pattern: Truncate before save
def safe_set_description(doc, description):
max_len = 140 # Match field length in DocType
if len(description) > max_len:
description = description[:max_len - 3] + "..."
frappe.msgprint(_("Description truncated to {0} characters").format(max_len))
doc.description = description
# Pattern: Paginated query to avoid timeout
def get_large_report(filters):
try:
return frappe.db.sql(query, filters, as_dict=True)
except frappe.QueryTimeoutError:
frappe.log_error(frappe.get_traceback(), "Report Query Timeout")
frappe.throw(
_("Report too large. Please narrow your date range or add filters."),
title=_("Query Timeout")
)
# Pattern: Check before write
def safe_write(doctype, name, field, value):
if frappe.flags.in_import:
frappe.db.set_value(doctype, name, field, value)
return
try:
frappe.db.set_value(doctype, name, field, value)
except frappe.InReadOnlyMode:
frappe.log_error(f"Write blocked: {doctype}/{name}", "Read-Only Mode")
frappe.throw(_("System is in read-only mode. Please try again later."))
# ❌ CAUSES DEADLOCKS — long transaction with many writes
def process_all():
for inv in frappe.get_all("Sales Invoice", limit=10000):
doc = frappe.get_doc("Sales Invoice", inv.name)
doc.custom_field = "value"
doc.save() # Each save locks rows; other processes wait
# ✅ CORRECT — batch with commits to release locks
def process_all():
invoices = frappe.get_all("Sales Invoice", limit=10000)
BATCH = 100
for i in range(0, len(invoices), BATCH):
for inv in invoices[i:i + BATCH]:
frappe.db.set_value("Sales Invoice", inv.name, "custom_field", "value")
frappe.db.commit() # Release locks after each batch
# ✅ CORRECT — retry on deadlock
import time
def with_deadlock_retry(func, max_retries=3):
for attempt in range(max_retries):
try:
return func()
except frappe.QueryDeadlockError:
if attempt < max_retries - 1:
frappe.db.rollback()
time.sleep(0.5 * (attempt + 1))
else:
raise
# Pattern: Connection recovery
def reliable_operation():
try:
return frappe.db.sql("SELECT 1")
except frappe.db.InternalError as e:
msg = str(e).lower()
if "gone away" in msg or "lost connection" in msg:
frappe.db.connect() # Reconnect
return frappe.db.sql("SELECT 1")
if "too many connections" in msg:
frappe.log_error("Too many DB connections", "Connection Pool")
frappe.throw(_("Server busy. Please try again in a moment."))
raise # Unknown InternalError — re-raise
Prevention:
wait_timeout in MariaDB config (default 28800s)max_connections setting matches your workload| Context | Auto-Commit? | Manual Commit? |
|---------|:------------:|:--------------:|
| Web request (POST/PUT) | YES | NEVER |
| Controller hooks (validate, on_update) | YES | NEVER |
| doc_events hooks | YES | NEVER |
| Scheduler tasks | NO | ALWAYS |
| Background jobs (frappe.enqueue) | NO | ALWAYS |
| bench execute | NO | ALWAYS |
def complex_operation():
frappe.db.savepoint("before_risky")
try:
risky_database_operation()
except Exception:
frappe.db.rollback(save_point="before_risky")
safe_alternative() # Continue with fallback
# Transaction hooks [v15+]
frappe.db.after_commit.add(lambda: send_notification())
frappe.db.after_rollback.add(lambda: cleanup_files())
# ❌ INJECTION VULNERABLE — all of these
frappe.db.sql(f"SELECT * FROM `tabItem` WHERE name = '{user_input}'")
frappe.db.sql("SELECT * FROM `tabItem` WHERE name = '%s'" % user_input)
frappe.db.sql("SELECT * FROM `tabItem` WHERE name = '{}'".format(user_input))
# ❌ ALSO VULNERABLE — in permission_query_conditions
def query_conditions(user):
return f"owner = '{user}'" # Unescaped!
# ✅ SAFE — parameterized query
frappe.db.sql("SELECT * FROM `tabItem` WHERE name = %(name)s", {"name": user_input})
# ✅ SAFE — frappe.db.escape() for dynamic SQL (permission hooks)
def query_conditions(user):
return f"owner = {frappe.db.escape(user)}"
# ✅ SAFE — query builder
Item = frappe.qb.DocType("Item")
frappe.qb.from_(Item).where(Item.name == user_input).run()
# ✅ SAFE — ORM methods
frappe.get_all("Item", filters={"name": user_input})
frappe.db.get_value("Item", user_input, "item_name")
# ❌ DANGEROUS — no error if record doesn't exist
frappe.db.set_value("Customer", "NONEXISTENT", "status", "Active")
# Returns without error! No rows updated.
# ✅ ALWAYS verify existence before set_value
if not frappe.db.exists("Customer", customer_name):
frappe.throw(_("Customer '{0}' not found").format(customer_name))
frappe.db.set_value("Customer", customer_name, "status", "Active")
# Note: set_value skips validate/on_update hooks
# Use doc.save() when you need validation to run
%(name)s dict params in frappe.db.sql() — NEVER string formattingfrappe.db.exists() before get_doc() — or catch DoesNotExistErrorDuplicateEntryError on every insert() callTimestampMismatchError on every save() in APIsfrappe.db.commit() in scheduler and background jobslimit parameterget_value() result for None before using itfrappe.db.escape() in dynamic SQL stringsf"", .format(), %) for SQL valuesfrappe.db.commit() in controller hooks or doc_eventsException and pass — log or re-raise specific typesdb.set_value() succeeded — it fails silently on missing recordslimit — memory/timeout risktry:
doc = frappe.get_doc("Customer", name)
except frappe.DoesNotExistError:
frappe.throw(_("Not found"))
try:
doc.insert()
except frappe.DuplicateEntryError:
existing = frappe.db.get_value("Customer", filters, "name")
except frappe.MandatoryError as e:
frappe.throw(_("Missing required field: {0}").format(e))
try:
doc.save()
except frappe.TimestampMismatchError:
frappe.throw(_("Document modified. Please refresh."))
except frappe.CharacterLengthExceededError:
frappe.throw(_("Text too long for field"))
try:
frappe.delete_doc("Customer", name)
except frappe.LinkExistsError:
frappe.throw(_("Cannot delete — linked documents exist"))
try:
frappe.db.sql(query, values)
except frappe.QueryTimeoutError: # [v15+]
frappe.throw(_("Query too slow. Add filters."))
except frappe.QueryDeadlockError:
frappe.db.rollback() # Retry with backoff
except frappe.db.InternalError as e:
frappe.log_error(frappe.get_traceback(), "DB Error")
| File | Contents |
|------|----------|
| references/patterns.md | Complete error handling patterns for all DB operations |
| references/examples.md | Full working examples with error handling |
| references/anti-patterns.md | Common mistakes with wrong/correct pairs |
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