What causes 001003 (42601)?

Missing or extra commas between column names or table references. Unmatched parentheses in a subquery or function call. A reserved keyword used as an identifier without quoting. Incorrect use of single vs. double quotes (single for string literals, double for identifiers). A semicolon in the wrong position breaking a multi-statement script

How do I fix 001003 (42601)?

Read the full error message — Snowflake usually indicates the position in the query where parsing failed.. Check for unmatched parentheses by counting opening and closing brackets.. Verify commas between all column names in SELECT lists and function arguments.. If using a reserved word as an identifier, wrap it in double quotes: SELECT "date" FROM .... Use a SQL formatter to reformat the query and make structural issues visible.

High severitysql compilationSnowflake →

Snowflake Error:
001003 (42601), Syntax

What does this error mean?

Snowflake rejected the SQL statement because it contains a syntax error. The query cannot be parsed and will not execute.

Common causes

1Missing or extra commas between column names or table references
2Unmatched parentheses in a subquery or function call
3A reserved keyword used as an identifier without quoting
4Incorrect use of single vs. double quotes (single for string literals, double for identifiers)
5A semicolon in the wrong position breaking a multi-statement script

How to fix it

1Read the full error message — Snowflake usually indicates the position in the query where parsing failed.
2Check for unmatched parentheses by counting opening and closing brackets.
3Verify commas between all column names in SELECT lists and function arguments.
4If using a reserved word as an identifier, wrap it in double quotes: SELECT "date" FROM ...
5Use a SQL formatter to reformat the query and make structural issues visible.

Frequently asked questions

How do I find exactly where the syntax error is?

Snowflake's error message includes a character offset (e.g., 'unexpected token at position 42'). Count characters from the beginning of the statement to find the problematic location.

Can I use reserved words as column names?

Yes, but only if you double-quote them: SELECT "group", "date" FROM my_table. Unquoted reserved words cause syntax errors.

Source · docs.snowflake.com/en/error-codes/error-001003