fix(semantic): hide and ignore series limits that have no series columns

[mikebridge]

SUMMARY

A semantic view cannot apply a series (group) limit unless the query has series columns. Pivot Table shows a Series limit control and has no Series columns control, so on a semantic view it could send a positive series_limit with empty series_columns; the limit was silently ignored and the control suggested otherwise.

• Frontend: the Pivot Table Series limit control is hidden for semantic views (using the control visibility pattern). buildQueryContext clears a positive series_limit for a semantic-view query that has neither explicit series_columns nor series columns the backend can infer (Pivot Table, and Box Plot with an empty group-by). A timeseries query with metrics and columns keeps its positive limit, because the backend infers series_columns from columns. SQL datasets, and semantic queries that do have series columns, are unchanged.
• Backend: the semantic mapper explicitly treats a positive limit with no series columns as no group limit, and logs it at debug level. It does not reject the request.

Why the backend does not reject. An earlier revision of this PR raised a validation error for that shape. A chart's query is also stored on the chart (query_context) and replayed server-side without the frontend: the chart-data GET endpoint, scheduled report CSV/XLSX/text deliveries, cache warm-up, the MCP chart-data tool and dashboard XLSX export. A semantic-view Pivot Table saved with a Series limit would have started failing in all of those until re-saved. Ignoring the limit preserves what those charts return today.

The query object itself is not modified, so its cache key is unchanged and an existing cached result is still found.

BEFORE/AFTER SCREENSHOTS OR ANIMATED GIF

Not captured; control visibility is covered by Jest.

TESTING INSTRUCTIONS

• Pivot Table on a semantic view: Series limit is hidden. A saved Pivot Table with a stored positive limit sends series_limit: 0 from the browser.
• A stored or raw chart-data request for a semantic view with a positive limit and no series columns returns the same unlimited rows as before.
• Pivot Table on a SQL dataset keeps its limit; a semantic query with series columns keeps its limit and its existing validation.
• Automated: pytest tests/unit_tests/semantic_layers/mapper_test.py; Jest for superset-ui-core buildQueryContext, the Pivot Table plugin and Box Plot buildQuery.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

• Has associated issue:
• Required feature flags:
• Changes UI
• Includes DB Migration (follow approval process in SIP-59)
• Introduces new feature or API
• Removes existing feature or API

The frontend type hook was checked with a source-resolved tsc because the generated declarations in my checkout were stale.

🤖 Generated with Claude Code

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[codecov]

Codecov Report

✅ All modified and coverable lines are covered by tests.
✅ Project coverage is 82.55%. Comparing base (5a2f4c8) to head (8b0a495).
⚠️ Report is 26 commits behind head on master.

Additional details and impacted files

@@            Coverage Diff             @@
##           master   #44909      +/-   ##
==========================================
+ Coverage   82.52%   82.55%   +0.03%     
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  Files        3005     3005              
  Lines      186595   186960     +365     
  Branches    43234    43313      +79     
==========================================
+ Hits       153979   154349     +370     
+ Misses      29854    29847       -7     
- Partials     2762     2764       +2     

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hive	36.20% <60.00%> (-0.06%)	⬇️
javascript	78.25% <100.00%> (+<0.01%)	⬆️
mysql	55.07% <60.00%> (-0.08%)	⬇️
postgres	55.08% <60.00%> (-0.08%)	⬇️
presto	38.05% <60.00%> (-0.07%)	⬇️
python	86.41% <100.00%> (+0.05%)	⬆️
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[codeant-ai-for-open-source]

Suggestion: For semantic timeseries queries, this clears valid limits when series_columns is omitted; the backend infers those columns from columns when metrics are present.

Assessment: 🟠 Major · 🔁 Occurrence: Sometimes · 🏷️ Incorrect condition logic

Prompt for AI Agent 🤖

This is a comment left during a code review.

**Path:** superset-frontend/packages/superset-ui-core/src/query/buildQueryContext.ts
**Line:** 65:69
**Comment:**
	*Incorrect Condition Logic: For semantic timeseries queries, this clears valid limits when `series_columns` is omitted; the backend infers those columns from `columns` when metrics are present.

Validate the correctness of the flagged issue. If correct, How can I resolve this? If you propose a fix, implement it and please make it concise.
Once fix is implemented, also check other comments on the same PR, and ask user if the user wants to fix the rest of the comments as well. if said yes, then fetch all the comments validate the correctness and implement a minimal fix

👍 | 👎

[codeant-ai-for-open-source]

✅ CodeAnt verified this suggestion was addressed in subsequent commits and marked this thread resolved as of 23dc468.

The limit is preserved when the query is a timeseries query with metrics and columns, even if series_columns is omitted.

_{If that's not right, unresolve this thread and CodeAnt will leave it open.}

[codeant-ai-for-open-source]

✅ CodeAnt verified this suggestion was addressed in subsequent commits and marked this thread resolved as of 5815a31.

The limit is preserved when the query is a timeseries query with metrics and columns, even if series_columns is omitted.

_{If that's not right, unresolve this thread and CodeAnt will leave it open.}

[codeant-ai-for-open-source]

✅ CodeAnt verified this suggestion was addressed in subsequent commits and marked this thread resolved as of 8b0a495.

The limit is preserved when the query is a timeseries query with metrics and columns, even if series_columns is omitted.

_{If that's not right, unresolve this thread and CodeAnt will leave it open.}

[codeant-ai-for-open-source]

CodeAnt PR Risk: Low Risk

• The PR appears safe to merge; semantic queries without series columns now ignore saved limits while preserving limits for inferred timeseries columns.
• Tests cover legacy SQL behavior, Pivot Table control visibility, and replay of stored chart queries without changing their cache inputs.

Assessed commit: 8b0a495e60b5

[aminghadersohi]

Codeant's open thread here is right: the frontend clear drops limits the backend would infer and apply for timeseries queries. The backend guards and the Pivot hiding look correct.

[aminghadersohi]

The timeseries guard now matches the backend's inference of series_columns from columns, and reverting it fails the four new chart tests. Not approving while codeant's thread on buildQueryContext.ts is still unresolved.

[mikebridge]

@aminghadersohi your review points are addressed: the series-limit fix is in 23dc468, and the empty-metrics test now isolates the metrics condition in 5815a31 (replies are inline). Would you mind taking another look when you have a moment? Thanks!

[aminghadersohi]

CI green; reverting the inferred-series guard or the metrics conjunct fails the new tests, and mapper tests pass. Codeant's open thread is fixed, and its head-level risk note is wrong: QueryObject infers series_columns, so the mapper still applies the GroupLimit.

[aminghadersohi]

NIT: timeseries queries with metrics infer series_columns from columns and keep the limit.

Suggested change

	positive `series_limit` and no `series_columns` run without a series limit.
	positive `series_limit` and no `series_columns` run without a series limit,
	except timeseries queries with metrics, whose `columns` act as series columns.

[mikebridge]

Good catch — the docs now say that a timeseries query with metrics and at least one columns value infers series columns and keeps the limit. The no-limit case is scoped to queries without effective series columns. Updated in 8b0a495e.