How to fix 01003: null_value_eliminated_in_set_function in PostgreSQL

Re-run the problematic aggregate while capturing notices/warnings from the server. For example:

CREATE TEMP TABLE t(id serial, d date);
INSERT INTO t(d) VALUES ('2025-01-01'), (NULL);

-- Postgres will still return the result, but a client that listens for warnings will
-- record SQLSTATE 01003 or the textual label null_value_eliminated_in_set_function.
SELECT MIN(d) FROM t;

Check your session's client_min_messages setting if you do not see the warning: SHOW client_min_messages;. A driver that runs with warning or notice will log SQLSTATE 01003 when the NULL row is removed.

Use COUNT(*) FILTER (WHERE column IS NULL) or WHERE column IS NOT DISTINCT FROM NULL to count nulls in the aggregated input:

SELECT COUNT(*) FILTER (WHERE metric IS NULL) AS null_inputs,
       COUNT(*) FILTER (WHERE metric IS NOT NULL) AS non_null_inputs
FROM payloads;

If the null count is non-zero, the warning is expected: aggregates like MIN and MAX only see the non-null rows before emitting SQLSTATE 01003.

If nulls are not supposed to contribute to the aggregate anyway, make that explicit by filtering them with WHERE, FILTER, or CASE:

SELECT MIN(d) FILTER (WHERE d IS NOT NULL) AS earliest_date
FROM events;

-- or push the non-null predicate into the FROM clause
SELECT MIN(events.d)
FROM events
WHERE events.d IS NOT NULL;

This removes the need for SQLSTATE 01003 because the aggregate no longer sees the NULL rows. When you still need to include NULLs but treat them as zero or a sentinel, wrap the aggregate result in COALESCE (for example, COALESCE(SUM(amount), 0)).

If the warning signals unexpected data quality, track down the producer of the NULL values (joins, ETL steps, etc.) and either prevent the nulls or translate them before aggregation. On the other hand, if NULLs are normal, log the warning at info level and keep client_min_messages at warning so you still see it in server logs without failing jobs. Some drivers convert SQLSTATE 01003 into exceptions; map that state back to a notice or ignore it explicitly so a meaningful result can still flow downstream.