---
type: concept
x-llmwiki:
  schemaVersion: "0.1"
  contentHash: af71bfb8a945862aa22ca55a37258d87922b0d1b3c994bc80478027ce150dffa
  pageDirectory: concepts
  sources:
    - delta_streaming_skip_offsets_invalid_offset_range-error-condition-databricks-on-aws.md
  confidence: 0.95
  provenanceState: extracted
  freshnessStatus: unverified
  aliases:
    - delta-streaming-offset-validation-rules
    - DSOVR
    - delta-streaming-offset-validation-constraints
    - DSOVC
  citations:
    - file: delta_streaming_skip_offsets_invalid_offset_range-error-condition-databricks-on-aws.md
title: Delta Streaming Offset Validation Rules
description: "Three validation constraints for Delta streaming skip offsets: no event time allowed, no initial snapshot offsets permitted, and offsets must reference a valid BASE_INDEX."
tags:
  - delta-lake
  - streaming
  - validation
  - offsets
timestamp: "2026-06-18T11:55:27.564Z"
---

# Delta Streaming Offset Validation Rules

**Delta Streaming Offset Validation Rules** define the constraints that Delta source offsets must satisfy when used with skip offset operations in Delta Live Tables or [Structured Streaming](/concepts/structured-streaming-on-shared-tables.md) pipelines. When an offset range fails validation, Databricks raises the `DELTA_STREAMING_SKIP_OFFSETS_INVALID_OFFSET_RANGE` error with SQLSTATE 42616. ^[delta_streaming_skip_offsets_invalid_offset_range-error-condition-databricks-on-aws.md]

## Error Overview

The error occurs when a skip offset range `[<startOffset>, <endOffset>)` is provided that does not meet the required validation criteria. The error message indicates the specific validation rule that was violated. ^[delta_streaming_skip_offsets_invalid_offset_range-error-condition-databricks-on-aws.md]

## Validation Rules

### EVENT_TIME_PRESENT

Offsets must not contain event time information. The `eventTimeMillis` field must be empty. If an offset includes event time data, the validation fails with this condition. ^[delta_streaming_skip_offsets_invalid_offset_range-error-condition-databricks-on-aws.md]

### INITIAL_SNAPSHOT

Offsets cannot be initial snapshot offsets. The `isInitialSnapshot` flag must be set to `false`. Initial snapshot offsets represent the starting state of a Delta table and are not valid for skip offset operations. ^[delta_streaming_skip_offsets_invalid_offset_range-error-condition-databricks-on-aws.md]

### INVALID_INDEX

The offset index must match the expected base index (`BASE_INDEX`). Each offset in the range must have an index that corresponds to the correct base index value for the streaming source. ^[delta_streaming_skip_offsets_invalid_offset_range-error-condition-databricks-on-aws.md]

## Error Format

The error is reported with the following structure:

```
DELTA_STREAMING_SKIP_OFFSETS_INVALID_OFFSET_RANGE
SQLSTATE: 42616
Invalid skip offset range for Delta source range=[<startOffset>, <endOffset>).
Fix this offset range and try again.
```

The error includes a sub-condition that identifies which specific validation rule was violated. ^[delta_streaming_skip_offsets_invalid_offset_range-error-condition-databricks-on-aws.md]

## Troubleshooting

### Verify Offset Structure

When encountering this error, inspect the offset range being used in the skip operation. Ensure that:

- `eventTimeMillis` is empty or not present in the offset metadata
- `isInitialSnapshot` is set to `false`
- The offset index matches the expected `BASE_INDEX` value

### Common Causes

- Using offsets captured from a different streaming query or checkpoint location
- Attempting to skip offsets that include initial snapshot data
- Providing malformed or incomplete offset metadata

## Related Concepts

- Delta Live Tables — The ETL framework where skip offset operations are commonly used
- [Structured Streaming](/concepts/structured-streaming-on-shared-tables.md) — The streaming engine that processes Delta source offsets
- Streaming Checkpoints — The location where offset metadata is stored
- [Delta Table Streaming Source](/concepts/deltatablesource.md) — The Delta source that generates streaming offsets
- Skip Offset Operations — The mechanism for skipping specific offset ranges in streaming pipelines

## Sources

- delta_streaming_skip_offsets_invalid_offset_range-error-condition-databricks-on-aws.md

# Citations

1. [delta_streaming_skip_offsets_invalid_offset_range-error-condition-databricks-on-aws.md](/references/delta_streaming_skip_offsets_invalid_offset_range-error-condition-databricks-on-aws-1b391d37.md)
