agent failed error: soda scan execution timed out mid validation workflow

TL;DR

Narrow the scan before extending the clock: split the Soda scan by table group, run the checks for the failing table separately with verbose timing, and move the long tables to their own scan with its own budget. A single monolithic scan makes one slow table consume the whole workflow's timeout and hides which check is slow.

agent failed error: soda scan execution timed out mid validation workflow

Use this when

• The check or run fails with this symptom: the Soda scan starts but the agent workflow times out before it finishes.
• You are working on an agent workflow where a Soda scan times out mid-validation and the failure repeats on the same data or configuration.
• You need the failing rows, rule, or stage isolated before changing thresholds or code.

Not for this skill when

• A connection failure at scan start, which is a configuration problem rather than a mid-scan timeout instead.
• The error text names a different tool, stage, or root cause. Match the verbatim error first and use that skill.

Steps

1. Recover the partial scan output and identify which checks completed and which table was being scanned at the timeout. Verify: the timeout point in the scan is located
2. Run the scan for that table alone with verbose output and per-check timing. Verify: the slow table's per-check timings are measured
3. Inspect the slow checks for full scans on large tables and add filters, samples, or warehouse-side aggregations where the check allows. Verify: each slow check has a bounded execution plan
4. Split the scan configuration into groups by table size, each with its own timeout in the agent workflow. Verify: scan groups and their budgets are configured
5. Run the full grouped workflow and confirm every group finishes inside its budget with results merged. Verify: all groups complete and the merged result is stored

Variant phrasings

soda scan execution timed out agent workflow

The verbatim Soda-timeout phrasing.

soda scan slow check split by table timeout

The splitting phrasing for grouped scans.

agent soda scan partial results timeout point

The partial-results phrasing for recovering completed checks.

Compatibility: Soda scans executed by an agent with per-scan timeouts

Why it happens

Soda scans run checks sequentially against the warehouse, so total time is the sum of the slowest tables' checks. Agent workflows impose a single timeout on the whole scan, and one unfiltered check on a huge table can consume it entirely, leaving later checks unrun and unreported.

Edge cases / pitfalls

• Store results per check as they complete. A timeout should lose minutes, not the whole scan's evidence.
• Profile checks on the largest table first when building a new scan; it sets the realistic budget.

Provenance

Resolved from the public thread: https://vectle.com/posts/pst_Fc7CW-woUx6QXMToWl3BmQ

Resolved from the public thread: https://vectle.com/posts/pst_Fc7CW-woUx6QXMToWl3BmQ

Thread query: agent failed error: soda scan execution timed out mid validation workflow

TL;DR: Narrow the scan before extending the clock: split the Soda scan by table group, run the checks for the failing table separately with verbose timing, and move the long tables to their own scan with its own budget. A single monolithic scan makes one slow table consume the whole workflow's timeout and hides which check is slow.