#1743 DatabaseMetaData.getColumns() returns non-null SOURCE_DATA_TYPE for non-DISTINCT/non-REF columns

[Jin Kwon]

ccording to the JDBC specification for DatabaseMetaData.getColumns(), the SOURCE_DATA_TYPE column (column 22) should be:

"source type of a distinct type or user-generated Ref type, SQL type from java.sql.Types (null if DATA_TYPE isn't DISTINCT or user-generated REF)"

However, HSQLDB returns a non-null SOURCE_DATA_TYPE value for columns where DATA_TYPE is neither Types.DISTINCT (2001) nor Types.REF (2006).

Steps to Reproduce:

1. Create an in-memory HSQLDB database
2. Call DatabaseMetaData.getColumns() on system tables (e.g., INFORMATION_SCHEMA.ADMINISTRABLE_ROLE_AUTHORIZATIONS)
3. Observe the SOURCE_DATA_TYPE value for VARCHAR columns

Expected Result:

For a column with DATA_TYPE = 12 (VARCHAR), SOURCE_DATA_TYPE should be null.

Actual Result:

SOURCE_DATA_TYPE = 12 (non-null) is returned.

Example:

Column: PUBLIC.INFORMATION_SCHEMA.ADMINISTRABLE_ROLE_AUTHORIZATIONS.GRANTEE
DATA_TYPE: 12 (VARCHAR)
SOURCE_DATA_TYPE: 12 (should be null)

Environment:

• HSQLDB version: 2.7.x
• JDBC version: 4.2

Reference:

• https://docs.oracle.com/javase/8/docs/api/java/sql/DatabaseMetaData.html#getColumns-java.lang.String-java.lang.String-java.lang.String-java.lang.String-

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Feel free to adjust the version numbers based on your actual test environment.

[Fred Toussi]

Cannot see the issue. The value of the column is null when the DATA_TYPE is not distinct.