Migrate Aggregate To Struct

Migrate Aggregate Function to Struct-Based State Export

Migrate the $ARGUMENTS aggregate function from legacy opaque (binary blob) EXPORT_STATE to the new struct-based format using SetStructStateExport.

Step 1: Locate the implementation

Find the aggregate function's source file. Common locations:

• extension/core_functions/aggregate/distributive/ (bit aggregates, bool, approx_count, kurtosis, skew)
• extension/core_functions/aggregate/algebraic/ (avg, stddev, corr, covar)
• extension/core_functions/aggregate/regression/ (regr_*)
• src/function/aggregate/distributive/ (count, first/last, min/max)

Read the full implementation file.

Step 2: Verify eligibility

Check against the requirements in src/function/scalar/system/aggregate_export.cpp (the ExportAggregateFunction::Bind method). A function CANNOT use EXPORT_STATE if it has:

• A custom binder (HasBindCallback()) - e.g. argmin/argmax
• A destructor (HasStateDestructorCallback()) - e.g. string_agg, list, BIT-type variants using UnaryAggregateDestructor
• No combine callback

If the function has multiple overloads (e.g. one for integral types, one for BIT type with a destructor), only the eligible overloads can get SetStructStateExport. Skip the overload with a destructor.

Stop and inform the user if the function is not eligible.

Step 3: Identify the state struct

Find the C++ struct that holds the aggregate state. Note the exact field order and types as declared — the LogicalType struct fields MUST match the C++ memory layout. For reference, read already-migrated examples in [examples/](examples/).

Step 4: Create the GetExportStateType callback

Add a function that maps the C++ state struct to a LogicalType::STRUCT. Place it in the same .cpp file, inside the anonymous namespace if one exists, before the function registration.

Use the type mapping from [reference.md](reference.md) to convert C++ types to LogicalTypes.

If the state struct is templated and the concrete type depends on the input, use function.return_type or the appropriate argument type dynamically:

LogicalType GetMyStateType(const AggregateFunction &function) {
    child_list_t children;
    children.emplace_back("is_set", LogicalType::BOOLEAN);
    children.emplace_back("value", function.return_type);
    return LogicalType::STRUCT(std::move(children));
}

For nested struct states, create nested LogicalType::STRUCT values — see the corr example in [examples/](examples/).

Step 5: Wire up SetStructStateExport

Chain .SetStructStateExport(YourCallback) onto each eligible AggregateFunction in the registration function (GetFunction() or GetFunctions()).

For function sets with multiple overloads, add it to each eligible overload individually. Do NOT add it to overloads that have destructors or bind callbacks.

Step 6: Add tests to teststateexport_struct.test

Add the function to test/sql/aggregate/aggregates/test_state_export_struct.test. Follow the existing patterns:

1. Add to ungrouped aggregate queries (res0 nosort group) — both the plain query and the finalize(...EXPORT_STATE) query
2. Add to grouped aggregate queries (res1 nosort group) — with GROUP BY g ORDER BY g
3. Add to the persisted state table (CREATE TABLE state AS ...) and corresponding finalize() query
4. Add to empty group tests (res4), null-scanned tests (res5, res6)

Update the query type strings to reflect the new column count.

Step 7: Add an EXPORT_STATE validation test

Verify the exported state values are correct by selecting the EXPORT_STATE result directly (without casting):

query T
SELECT your_func(42) EXPORT_STATE;
----
{'field1': value1, 'field2': value2}

Run the query first to get the actual output, then use that as the expected result.

Step 8: Remove from opaque tests (if applicable)

If the function was tested in test/sql/aggregate/aggregates/test_state_export_opaque.test, remove it from there. The opaque test file should only contain functions that have NOT been migrated.

Step 9: Build and run tests

cd build/debug && ninja -j8
./test/unittest "test/sql/aggregate/aggregates/test_state_export_struct.test"

Checklist

• [ ] GetExportStateType field order matches C++ struct declaration order
• [ ] LogicalTypes match the C++ types exactly (see [reference.md](reference.md))
• [ ] SetStructStateExport chained on ALL eligible overloads (skip overloads with destructors/binders)
• [ ] Tests added to teststateexport_struct.test
• [ ] Tests removed from teststateexport_opaque.test (if applicable)
• [ ] Build succeeds and tests pass

Source & license

This open-source skill is cataloged on AgentStack and links to its original source — we do not rehost the code.

• Author: mondaycom
• Source: mondaycom/duckdb-claude
• License: MIT

Install and usage instructions live in the source repository linked above.