MySQL raises ER_BOOST_GEOMETRY_EMPTY_INPUT_EXCEPTION when a spatial function receives an empty geometry object.
ER_BOOST_GEOMETRY_EMPTY_INPUT_EXCEPTION happens when a MySQL spatial function gets an empty geometry. Supply a valid geometry, validate with ST_IsEmpty(), or filter out NULL/empty rows to resolve the issue.
ER_BOOST_GEOMETRY_EMPTY_INPUT_EXCEPTION
MySQL throws error 3038 with the condition name ER_BOOST_GEOMETRY_EMPTY_INPUT_EXCEPTION when a spatial function is executed on a geometry value that contains no coordinates or rings.
MySQL 5.7.5 and later versions include additional validation checks on Boost.Geometry routines. When these checks detect an empty geometry, the server stops processing and returns this runtime data error.
An empty geometry can be introduced by inserting invalid WKT, loading NULL data, or using functions that strip all points from a geometry during processing. Any subsequent call to ST_Area, ST_Length, or other Boost-based functions will fail with error 3038.
Storage engine bugs or application logic that replaces invalid shapes with empty placeholders also trigger the exception.
Identify the offending rows with ST_IsEmpty(). Update, delete, or replace them with valid geometries before calling spatial functions.
Validate user input on insert and reject geometries with zero points. Where empty geometries are expected, guard function calls with CASE expressions to bypass them.
Spatial analytics pipelines often import GeoJSON features missing coordinate arrays. Converting these to MySQL geometry results in empty POLYGONs that break later calculations. Enforce schema validation in ETL jobs to stop the bad data at ingest.
Some ORMs default to empty geometry when a column is optional. Configure the ORM to use NULL instead, then filter NULLs safely.
Always validate WKT and WKB using ST_IsValid() and ST_IsEmpty() before storing. Create CHECK constraints in MySQL 8.0 to prevent empty geometries from entering the table.
Use Galaxy’s AI copilot to generate parameterized inserts that include validation clauses, and leverage Collections to share vetted geometry-processing queries across your team.
Error 3037 ER_BOOST_GEOMETRY_INVALID_INPUT_EXCEPTION fires when the geometry structure itself is malformed. Error 1416 ER_GEOMETRY_IN_COLLECTION_DATA fires on mixed dimension data. Each requires data validation but has different root causes and fixes.
Inserting 'POLYGON()' or other zero-point geometries directly into a spatial column makes subsequent spatial calculations fail.
Some import tools convert NULL geometries to empty shapes, introducing invalid data without raising errors at load time.
Scripts that clip or simplify geometries can accidentally remove all points, leaving an empty geometry in place.
GeoJSON features with empty coordinates arrays become empty geometries when transformed to WKT/WKB.
Raised when the geometry has an invalid structure, such as self-intersecting polygons.
Occurs when you store a geometry type that does not match the declared column type.
Triggered when spatial functions receive arguments of incompatible types.
No. The check was introduced in 5.7.5. Earlier versions may silently return NULL instead.
Yes. Use CASE expressions or WHERE filters to exclude empty rows from spatial calculations.
ST_IsEmpty() uses spatial indexes when available, so performance is acceptable for most workloads.
Galaxy’s AI copilot autogenerates validation clauses and highlights empty geometry results in the editor, reducing runtime failures.
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