[Bug] DatabricksExecutionError when store_failures creates table names > 255 characters

[dhanesh-chua]

Describe the bug

When store_failures: true is enabled, dbt generates table names for test results by concatenating the test name, model name, and arguments. In our project, some deep schema tests generate names exceeding 255 characters.

Databricks (Unity Catalog/Hive Metastore) has a hard limit of 255 characters for table names. The dbt-databricks adapter currently attempts to create these tables without truncation or hashing, causing a runtime DatabricksExecutionError.

Steps To Reproduce

1. Create a dbt model with a long name (e.g. finance_attribution_modeling_long_name_example).
2. Add a generic test with verbose arguments (or a custom test with a long name).
3. Enable store_failures: true in dbt_project.yml.
4. Run dbt test.

Expected behavior

• Hash or truncate the generated table name to fit within the 255-character limit (similar to how other adapters handle relation length limits).
• Or fail at compile time with a clear error message, rather than a runtime SQL error.

Screenshots and log output

Database Error in test accepted_map_keys_stg_product_search_create_sizes__relax__boosted_spacing__after__limit__discounted__what__hashtag__not_id__seller_id__country__not_country__not_radius__created_after__ranking__free_national_shipping__discount_types__min_discount__max_discount__is_boosted__filters__modify_what__shipping_id__brands__categories__groups__product_types__condition__colours__variants__saved_variants__gender__is_kids__price_max__price_min__currency__is_discounted__rerank__from__filters_as_map_arrays (models/marts/core/search_queries/search_queries.yml)

[RequestId=812f1895-6374-4fff-ab57-7c5281e938a3 ErrorClass=INVALID_PARAMETER_VALUE] Invalid input: RPC CreateStagingTable Field managedcatalog.StagingTableInfo.name: name "accepted_map_keys_stg_product_search_create_sizes__relax__boosted_spacing__after__limit__discounted__what__hashtag__not_id__seller_id__country__not_country__not_radius__created_after__ranking__free_national_shipping__discount_types__min_discount__max_disc..." too long. Maximum length is 255 characters.
[2026-01-13, 04:04:43 UTC] {{pod_manager.py:381}} INFO - �[0m04:04:39

System information

The output of dbt --version:

Core:
  - installed: 1.10.9
  - latest:    1.11.2 - Update available!

  Your version of dbt-core is out of date!
  You can find instructions for upgrading here:
  https://docs.getdbt.com/docs/installation

Plugins:
  - databricks: 1.10.10 - Update available!
  - spark:      1.9.2   - Update available!

  At least one plugin is out of date with dbt-core.
  You can find instructions for upgrading here:
  https://docs.getdbt.com/docs/installation

The operating system you're using:
MacOS Sequoia - Version 15.6.1 (24G90)

The output of python --version:
Python 3.12.10

Additional context

Add any other context about the problem here.

[psaikaushik]

This is a real problem. When store_failures generates a table name longer than 255 characters, Databricks rejects it at runtime with no way for the user to know ahead of time.

Two possible approaches:

1. Truncate + hash: if the generated name exceeds 255 chars, truncate it and append a short hash of the full name for uniqueness (e.g. first_200_chars__a1b2c3d4)
2. Fail at compile time with a clear message telling the user to set a custom name on their test

I think option 1 is better UX since it's automatic, but option 2 is simpler and less likely to have edge cases. Happy to implement either approach if maintainers have a preference.