[HIVE-3528] Avro SerDe doesn't handle serializing Nullable types that require access to a Schema

• Type: Bug
• Status: Closed
• Priority: Major
• Resolution: Fixed
• Fix Version/s: 0.11.0
• Component/s: Serializers/Deserializers
• Labels: avro
• Assignee: Sean Busbey
• Reporter: Sean Busbey
• Created: 03/Oct/12 22:52
• Updated: 16/May/13 21:10
• Resolved: 25/Jan/13 17:25

Description

Deserialization properly handles hiding Nullable Avro types, including complex types like record, map, array, etc. However, when Serialization attempts to write out these types it erroneously makes use of the UNION schema that contains NULL and the other type.

This results in Schema mis-match errors for Record, Array, Enum, Fixed, and Bytes.

Here's a review board of unit tests that express the problem, as well as one that supports the case that it's only when the schema is needed.