What causes DELTA_METADATA_ABSENT?

A table was created by directly writing Parquet files to a path without initializing the Delta transaction log. The transaction log was corrupted or truncated, removing the initial metadata commit. An incomplete Delta table creation left no metadata entry in the log. A cloud storage migration moved the data files but not the _delta_log directory

How do I fix DELTA_METADATA_ABSENT?

Step 1: Check the _delta_log directory for a 00000000000000000000.json file — its absence confirms a missing metadata entry.. Step 2: If the underlying data files are Parquet, convert the table using CONVERT TO DELTA parquet.path_to_data.. Step 3: If the table was recently created and the _delta_log is empty, drop and recreate the table.. Step 4: Restore from a backup or snapshot if the log was corrupted during migration.. Step 5: After recovery, run DESCRIBE DETAIL table_name to confirm the metadata is readable.

Critical severityexecution

Power BI Refresh Error:
DELTA_METADATA_ABSENT

What does this error mean?

Delta Lake cannot read a table's metadata because the metadata action is missing from the transaction log, leaving the table in an incomplete state.

Common causes

1A table was created by directly writing Parquet files to a path without initializing the Delta transaction log
2The transaction log was corrupted or truncated, removing the initial metadata commit
3An incomplete Delta table creation left no metadata entry in the log
4A cloud storage migration moved the data files but not the _delta_log directory

How to fix it

1Step 1: Check the _delta_log directory for a 00000000000000000000.json file — its absence confirms a missing metadata entry.
2Step 2: If the underlying data files are Parquet, convert the table using CONVERT TO DELTA parquet.path_to_data.
3Step 3: If the table was recently created and the _delta_log is empty, drop and recreate the table.
4Step 4: Restore from a backup or snapshot if the log was corrupted during migration.
5Step 5: After recovery, run DESCRIBE DETAIL table_name to confirm the metadata is readable.

Frequently asked questions

Can I use CONVERT TO DELTA without re-writing data?

Yes — CONVERT TO DELTA reads the existing Parquet files in place and creates the Delta transaction log without copying data. It requires the schema to be inferred or explicitly provided.

Will RESTORE TABLE work if DELTA_METADATA_ABSENT is thrown?

No — RESTORE TABLE requires the transaction log to be readable to find historical versions. If metadata is absent, you need CONVERT TO DELTA or manual log reconstruction.