EXPAND_COMPLEX_TYPES Query Option

Older versions of Impala did not support complex types in the select list, and therefore a SELECT * statement only expanded to primitive types even when the table contained complex-typed columns. Support for complex types in the select list has since been added, but for backward compatibility the behaviour that "*" expressions skip complex types has been kept as the default. If the EXPAND_COMPLEX_TYPES query option is set to true, "*" expressions will include complex types as well.

Note: even if EXPAND_COMPLEX_TYPES is false, complex-typed columns that are listed explicitly in the select list (i.e. not as a "*" expression) will be included in the result.

Type:BOOLEAN

Default:FALSE

Added in:Impala 4.2

Related information:

Complex Types (Impala 2.3 or higher only),