Implementation:Apache Paimon CatalogTableType

Knowledge Sources	Apache_Paimon
Domains	Catalog Management, Table Types
Last Updated	2026-02-08 00:00 GMT

Overview

CatalogTableType is an enumeration defining the types of tables managed by a Paimon catalog, distinguishing between managed and external tables.

Description

CatalogTableType is a public enum implementing DescribedEnum that defines two fundamental table categories in Apache Paimon's catalog system: MANAGED and EXTERNAL. MANAGED tables represent tables where Paimon owns the entire lifecycle including data storage, metadata, and cleanup - the catalog has full control over the table's existence and location. EXTERNAL tables represent a looser coupling where Paimon provides query and management capabilities over data stored in external locations, but does not control the underlying data lifecycle.

Each enum constant is associated with a string value for serialization ("managed" or "external") and a human-readable description. The MANAGED type is described as "Paimon owned table where the entire lifecycle of the table data is managed," while EXTERNAL is "The table where Paimon has loose coupling with the data stored in external locations." The enum implements getDescription() to return descriptive text elements, supporting Paimon's configuration and documentation infrastructure.

This distinction affects behavior such as whether dropping a table also deletes the underlying data (MANAGED: yes, EXTERNAL: typically no), where metadata is stored, and what operations are permitted. The toString() method returns the lowercase string value, providing a standard string representation for configuration files, APIs, and logs.

Usage

Use CatalogTableType when creating tables programmatically to specify ownership semantics, when implementing catalog operations that behave differently for managed vs external tables, or when querying table metadata to determine data lifecycle responsibilities.

Code Reference

Source Location

Repository: Apache_Paimon
File: paimon-api/src/main/java/org/apache/paimon/table/CatalogTableType.java

Signature

public enum CatalogTableType implements DescribedEnum {
    MANAGED("managed",
            "Paimon owned table where the entire lifecycle of the table data is managed."),
    EXTERNAL("external",
            "The table where Paimon has loose coupling with the data stored in external locations.");

    @Override
    public String toString()

    @Override
    public InlineElement getDescription()
}

Import

import org.apache.paimon.table.CatalogTableType;

I/O Contract

Inputs

Name	Type	Required	Description
Table type constant	CatalogTableType	Yes	Either MANAGED or EXTERNAL

Outputs

Name	Type	Description
Type enum	CatalogTableType	The table type classification
String value	String	Lowercase string "managed" or "external"
Description	InlineElement	Human-readable description of the type

Usage Examples

// Using catalog table types
CatalogTableType managed = CatalogTableType.MANAGED;
CatalogTableType external = CatalogTableType.EXTERNAL;

// Get string representation
String managedStr = managed.toString(); // "managed"
String externalStr = external.toString(); // "external"

// Get description
InlineElement managedDesc = managed.getDescription();
// Returns text: "Paimon owned table where the entire lifecycle..."

// Example: Create table with specific type
public void createTable(String tableName, CatalogTableType type) {
    if (type == CatalogTableType.MANAGED) {
        // Paimon manages data lifecycle
        createManagedTable(tableName);
    } else {
        // Data exists externally
        createExternalTable(tableName);
    }
}

// Example: Drop behavior based on type
public void dropTable(Table table, CatalogTableType type) {
    if (type == CatalogTableType.MANAGED) {
        // Delete data when dropping managed table
        deleteTableData(table);
        deleteTableMetadata(table);
    } else {
        // Only remove metadata for external table
        deleteTableMetadata(table);
    }
}

// Example: Check table type
public boolean isTableManaged(CatalogTableType type) {
    return type == CatalogTableType.MANAGED;
}

// Example: Table creation in catalog
CatalogTableType tableType = CatalogTableType.MANAGED;
catalog.createTable(
    new ObjectPath("my_database", "my_table"),
    tableSchema,
    false,  // ignoreIfExists
    tableType
);

// Example: Conditional operations
public void performOperation(String tableName, CatalogTableType type) {
    switch (type) {
        case MANAGED:
            System.out.println("Operating on managed table: " + tableName);
            // Full control over data lifecycle
            break;
        case EXTERNAL:
            System.out.println("Operating on external table: " + tableName);
            // Limited control, data managed elsewhere
            break;
    }
}

// Configuration usage
Map<String, String> tableOptions = new HashMap<>();
tableOptions.put("table.type", CatalogTableType.MANAGED.toString());

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