Make databases.populate_tables raise a clear NotImplementedError

populate_tables was gated with @api(version="99"), so it raised a
misleading EndpointUnavailableError on every server. It called
GET /databases/{id}/tables, which is not part of the REST API at any
version. Raise NotImplementedError pointing to the Metadata API and
tables.get_by_id instead, and make the DatabaseItem.tables error message
accurate.

Refs #735

Co-Authored-By: Claude Code <noreply@anthropic.com>

Author: jacalata

tableauserverclient/models/database_item.py

@@ -42,7 +42,7 @@ def __init__(self, name, description=None, content_permissions=None):
 
         self._data_quality_warnings = None
 
-        self._tables = None  # Not implemented yet
+        self._tables = None
 
     def __str__(self):
         return f"<Database {self._id} '{self.name}'>"
@@ -177,9 +177,11 @@ def contact_id(self, value):
     @property
     def tables(self):
         if self._tables is None:
-            error = "Database must be populated with tables first."
+            error = (
+                "Database tables are not available: the REST API cannot list the tables of a database. "
+                "Use the Metadata API to find them."
+            )
             raise UnpopulatedPropertyError(error)
-        #  Each call to `.tables` should create a new pager, this just runs the callable
         return self._tables()
 
     def _set_values(self, database_values):

tableauserverclient/server/endpoint/databases_endpoint.py

@@ -10,7 +10,7 @@
 from tableauserverclient.server.endpoint.permissions_endpoint import _PermissionsEndpoint
 from tableauserverclient.server.endpoint.resource_tagger import TaggingMixin
 from tableauserverclient.server import RequestFactory
-from tableauserverclient.models import DatabaseItem, TableItem, PaginationItem, Resource
+from tableauserverclient.models import DatabaseItem, PaginationItem, Resource
 
 from tableauserverclient.helpers.logging import logger
 
@@ -149,24 +149,26 @@ def update(self, database_item: DatabaseItem) -> DatabaseItem:
         updated_database = DatabaseItem.from_response(server_response.content, self.parent_srv.namespace)[0]
         return updated_database
 
-    # Not Implemented Yet
-    @api(version="99")
-    def populate_tables(self, database_item):
-        if not database_item.id:
-            error = "database item missing ID. database must be retrieved from server first."
-            raise MissingRequiredFieldError(error)
-
-        def column_fetcher():
-            return self._get_tables_for_database(database_item)
+    def populate_tables(self, database_item: DatabaseItem) -> None:
+        """
+        Not supported. The REST API has no endpoint that lists the tables of a
+        database.
 
-        database_item._set_tables(column_fetcher)
-        logger.info(f"Populated tables for database (ID: {database_item.id}")
+        To find the tables in a database, use the Metadata API with
+        ``server.metadata.query`` and a query such as
+        ``databases(filter: {luid: $luid}) { tables { luid name } }``, then
+        retrieve each table with ``server.tables.get_by_id``.
 
-    def _get_tables_for_database(self, database_item):
-        url = f"{self.baseurl}/{database_item.id}/tables"
-        server_response = self.get_request(url)
-        tables = TableItem.from_response(server_response.content, self.parent_srv.namespace)
-        return tables
+        Raises
+        ------
+        NotImplementedError
+            Always.
+        """
+        raise NotImplementedError(
+            "The REST API has no endpoint to list the tables of a database. Use the Metadata API "
+            "(server.metadata.query with databases(filter: {luid: $luid}) { tables { luid name } }) "
+            "to find the table LUIDs, then call server.tables.get_by_id."
+        )
 
     @api(version="3.5")
     def populate_permissions(self, item: DatabaseItem) -> None:

test/test_database.py

@@ -110,3 +110,10 @@ def test_delete(server):
     with requests_mock.mock() as m:
         m.delete(server.databases.baseurl + "/0448d2ed-590d-4fa0-b272-a2a8a24555b5", status_code=204)
         server.databases.delete("0448d2ed-590d-4fa0-b272-a2a8a24555b5")
+
+
+def test_populate_tables_not_supported(server):
+    database = TSC.DatabaseItem("test")
+    database._id = "23591f2c-4802-4d6a-9e28-574a8ea9bc4c"
+    with pytest.raises(NotImplementedError, match="Metadata API"):
+        server.databases.populate_tables(database)