rdblue commented on code in PR #15630: URL: https://github.com/apache/iceberg/pull/15630#discussion_r3157852884
########## format/spec.md: ########## @@ -123,9 +128,22 @@ Tables do not require random-access writes. Once written, data and metadata file Tables do not require rename, except for tables that use atomic rename to implement the commit operation for new metadata files. +### File Locations in Metadata + +Version 4 of the Iceberg spec adds support for relative locations in metadata, enabling tables to be relocated without rewriting metadata files. Key changes include: + +* Support for relative locations in all metadata tracked path fields, resolved against the table's base location +* The table `location` field becomes optional, allowing the table location to be: + * Provided by an owning catalog + * Inferred from the metadata file location or storage layout + * Supplied directly where necessary +* Formal definitions for path types, path resolution, and path relativization Review Comment: These are great high-level changes for Appendix E, but they aren't very helpful in the overview. In the overview. For the overview, I'd say: > Iceberg supports relative locations in metadata in v4 and later. In earlier versions, locations must be fully-qualified. > > Relative locations are allowed in all metadata tracked path fields and are resolved against the table's base location. The table's location may be fixed in table metadata or inferred, but is intended to be managed and supplied by a catalog. > > Requirements for relativization and resolution are in [Relative Paths](...) -- This is an automated message from the Apache Git Service. To respond to the message, please log on to GitHub and use the URL above to go to the specific comment. To unsubscribe, e-mail: [email protected] For queries about this service, please contact Infrastructure at: [email protected] --------------------------------------------------------------------- To unsubscribe, e-mail: [email protected] For additional commands, e-mail: [email protected]
