psycopg.errors.UndefinedColumn: column "titel" does not exist

Python · updated 2026-11-10

Raised by Postgres (SQLSTATE 42703) when a query names a column the table does not have. psycopg raises UndefinedColumn, Django and SQLAlchemy wrap it as ProgrammingError, node-postgres throws it with code 42703. Postgres often adds a HINT such as Perhaps you meant to reference the column "todos.title".

Traceback (most recent call last):
  ...
psycopg.errors.UndefinedColumn: column "titel" does not exist
LINE 1: select titel from todos
               ^
HINT:  Perhaps you meant to reference the column "todos.title".

Quick fix

Read the HINT first: it usually names the column you meant. If the name is right, check its case: an unquoted createdAt is looked up as createdat, so a column created as "createdAt" must be quoted in raw SQL. If the column really is missing, the migration that adds it has not run on this database.

1. Read the HINT line under the error; Postgres suggests the closest existing column.
2. Compare case: unquoted names are lowercased, so camelCase columns need double quotes in raw SQL.
3. List the real columns: \d tablename in psql, or select column_name from information_schema.columns where table_name = 'todos'.
4. If the model has the field and the table does not, run the pending migration on this database.
5. In a string literal mix-up (where name = "alice"), double quotes mean a column: use single quotes for values.

Why it happens

Other fixes

• Use query parameters instead of building SQL strings, which also removes the quote mix-up.
• Keep migrations in the deploy step so code and schema change together.

Same error, other wording

• error: column "createdat" does not exist
• django.db.utils.ProgrammingError: column app_order.status does not exist
• psycopg2.errors.UndefinedColumn: column "alice" does not exist

Related errors

• error: relation "todo" does not exist
• psycopg.errors.UniqueViolation: duplicate key value violates unique constraint...
• django.db.utils.OperationalError: no such table: orders_order

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References: PostgreSQL docs: identifiers and case folding, PostgreSQL docs: error codes (42703 undefined_column)

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