Structured Property Assignment via Assertions Not Working – DataHub Customer Support Portal

Area: Product Issues

Sub-Area: Metadata Tests and Assertion Actions

Issue

When metadata tests (assertions) are configured to set structured properties upon success, the tests may pass but the structured properties are not applied to the assets. This occurs when the SET_STRUCTURED_PROPERTY action type is not properly wired into the assertion actions execution pipeline.

Error Messages

IllegalArgumentException (may be silently swallowed in assertion actions hook)

You Might Be Asking

Why is my test passing but the structured property not being set?
Why do I see "Gold Dataset: Pass" but the certification property remains empty?
Are structured property actions supported in metadata tests?

Solution

Verify Test Configuration

Navigate to Settings → Tests → [Your Test Name] → Actions tab
Confirm that SET_STRUCTURED_PROPERTY action is configured
Ensure the structured property name and value are correctly specified

Check Structured Property Definition

Go to Settings → Structured Properties
Verify the structured property exists and applies to the correct entity type (e.g., dataset)
Ensure the value being set matches allowed values or data type constraints

Apply Temporary Workaround
If using DataHub Cloud, contact support to apply a YAML configuration workaround that bypasses the assertion actions hook limitation.
Validate Test Logic
Ensure your test definitions don't conflict with each other. If an asset passes multiple tests with different structured property values, the last executed test will overwrite previous values.
```
Example conflict:
- Asset passes "Gold Dataset" test → sets certification = "Gold"
- Same asset later passes "Bronze Dataset" test → overwrites certification = "Bronze"
```
Monitor Test Execution
Check the assertion execution logs for any errors or warnings related to structured property assignment. In DataHub Cloud, this information is available through support.

Additional Notes

This is a known issue where the SET_STRUCTURED_PROPERTY action type exists in the codebase but is not properly connected to the AssertionActionsHook execution pipeline. A permanent fix has been merged and will be available in upcoming DataHub releases. Until then, the workaround applied by DataHub Cloud support should resolve the issue. Note that emoji characters in structured property values may cause additional complications and should be avoided if possible.

Issue

Error Messages

You Might Be Asking

Solution

Additional Notes

Related Documentation