Error during deserializing protobuf data

[Sambit_S]

I am receiving protobuf data in a json attribute and along with it I receive a descriptor file.

I am using from_protobuf to deserialize the data as below,

It works most of the time but giving error when there are some recursive fields within the protobuf.

I tried the property as suggested by the spark doc https://spark.apache.org/docs/latest/sql-data-sources-protobuf.html#:~:text=A%20recursive.,issues%20....

Even if I set the propertyrecursive.fields.max.depth to its max value 10 and my protobuf data contains 4 levels of recursive data, it errors out.

Any help here will be appreciated.

[Kaniz]

Hi @Sambit_S, Handling recursive fields in Protobuf can indeed be tricky, especially when deserializing data.

Let’s explore some potential solutions to address this issue:

1. Casting Issue with Recursive Fields: The error you’re encountering might be related to casting issues when dealing with recursive fields. When the object being treated changes from the class generated through protoc to a RepeatedField, the recursive mechanism fails. One approach to address this is to handle repeated fields (and maps) as separate branches in your ge...¹.

2. Delta Table Error: If you’re using Delta tables, there’s an issue related to recursive field handling. When writing to a Delta table, you might encounter an error related to nested NullType in a column. The proposed fix is to drop the recursive field when the limit is reached instead of using NullType².

3. Workaround for Protobuf Import Error in Python 3.6: If you’re facing import errors after compilation in Python 3.6, there’s a workaround. After running protoc, use a sed script to add relative imports to the generated Python files³.

4. GRPC Build Issue with MSVC: If you encounter build issues related to GRPC and error C2370, there’s an open issue on GitHub. You can follow the repro steps provided by the community to address this problem⁴.

Remember to adapt these solutions to your specific use case and verify whether they resolve your issue. If you need further assistance, feel free to ask! 😊

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