sql/resolver: error handling regression on master for database that does not exist #68060
Description
I noticed an unexpected change when I use the CLI. If I connect with a URL that includes a DB that doesn’t exist, the error message has changed.
It used to say error retrieving the database name: pq: database "db" does not exist.
Now it says error retrieving the database name: pq: relation "crdb_internal.session_variables" does not exist.
The new (undesired) error is coming from here:
At this point lookupFlags.Required is set to false, so the error handling that would happen in getObjectByName to give the "good" error is not used:
cockroach/pkg/sql/catalog/descs/object.go
Lines 46 to 50 in 64c888f
The message comes from the first time the CLI runs a SHOW DATABASE command, which delegates to crdb_internal.session_variables. Technically the new message is “correct” since that name is the thing that cannot be resolved, but it’s slightly less helpful. I think the change came in a40102a.
I see that in 21.1 the database does not exist error was coming from getPlanInfo so I guess that means name resolution is happening sooner now than it was before.
Epic: CRDB-2454