PostgreSQL throws invalid_role_specification (SQLSTATE 0P000) when a referenced role or user does not exist or is spelled incorrectly.
PostgreSQL Error 0P000 – invalid_role_specification appears when you reference a role that the cluster cannot find. Confirm the role name with \du, CREATE the missing role, or correct the typo; then rerun the statement to resolve the error.
PostgreSQL Error 0P000
Error 0P000 signals that PostgreSQL cannot locate the role, user, or group mentioned in your SQL statement.
The server aborts the command to prevent privilege leaks or orphaned ownerships.
The error commonly arises during CREATE SCHEMA, ALTER DEFAULT PRIVILEGES, GRANT, REVOKE, SET ROLE, or when restoring a dump that references a role missing from the target cluster.
Referencing a role that was never created in the current cluster immediately triggers 0P000.
Typos in role names have the same effect.
Dump and restore workflows cause the error when the dump file contains role owners or grants that do not exist in the new environment.
Dropping a role and forgetting to update dependent objects can surface the error later when those objects are accessed.
First, list existing roles by running \du in psql.
If the role is missing, recreate it with identical attributes or adjust the statement to use a valid role.
If the role exists but under a different name, edit the SQL to reference the correct identifier.
Always quote identifiers consistently to avoid case mismatches.
pg_dump restore - Precreate all roles found in the source cluster before running pg_restore, or use the --no-owner flag to strip ownership clauses.
SET ROLE - Ensure the role you switch to is granted to your session user with GRANT role_name TO current_user.
CI pipelines - Seed required roles in test databases as part of the migration script to avoid unexpected failures.
Adopt infrastructure-as-code for role management so every environment has identical role definitions.
Validate database dumps with pg_restore --list and grep for ROLE statements that might be missing.
In Galaxy, you can store your role-creation SQL in a shared Collection and endorse it, ensuring teammates apply the same definitions when spinning up new instances.
42883 undefined_function - Occurs when calling a function that does not exist.
Create or correct the function name.
42501 insufficient_privilege - Signals you lack permission on an object. GRANT the needed privilege or switch to a higher-privilege role.
42704 undefined_object - Triggered by referencing a table or schema that does not exist. Create the object or adjust the query.
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Not necessarily. LOGIN is only required if a user will authenticate directly. For ownership or grants a NOLOGIN role is sufficient.
Yes. Use ALTER ROLE old_name RENAME TO new_name; but ensure no dependencies break in scripts or applications.
Query pg_class and pg_namespace or use pg_dump --list to inspect ownership details.
Galaxy Collections let teams version and endorse role-creation scripts so every environment can apply identical role definitions, reducing mismatch risks.
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