feat: Add support for deleting partitions with logic operators other than equals

examples/scratch/README.md

@@ -39,6 +39,10 @@ ice insert nyc.taxis_p_by_day -p \
 ice delete nyc.taxis_p_by_day  \
   --partition '[{"name": "tpep_pickup_datetime", "values": ["2024-12-31T23:51:20"]}]' --dry-run=false
 
+# delete a range of partitions using a comparison operator (default op is equals)
+ice delete nyc.taxis_p_by_day  \
+  --partition '[{"name": "tpep_pickup_datetime", "op": "greater_than_or_equal", "values": ["2024-12-31T23:51:20"]}]' --dry-run=false
+
 # insert data ordered by tpep_pickup_datetime column
 ice insert nyc.taxis_s_by_day -p \
   https://d37ci6vzurychx.cloudfront.net/trip-data/yellow_tripdata_2025-01.parquet \

ice-rest-catalog/src/test/resources/scenarios/delete-partition/run.sh.tmpl

@@ -43,6 +43,17 @@ if [[ "$list_after" == *"${TRANSFORMED_PARTITION_COLUMN}=${DELETE_PARTITION_DAY}
 fi
 echo "OK Validated partition was deleted"
 
+# Exercise a comparison operator (greater_than_or_equal) via a dry run.
+# >= 2000-01-01 matches all remaining data, so candidate files must be found.
+range_output=$({{ICE_CLI}} --config {{CLI_CONFIG}} delete ${TABLE_NAME} \
+  --partition "[{\"name\": \"${TRANSFORMED_PARTITION_COLUMN}\", \"op\": \"greater_than_or_equal\", \"values\": [\"2000-01-01\"]}]" 2>&1)
+echo "$range_output"
+if ! echo "$range_output" | grep -qF "To be deleted"; then
+  echo "FAIL Expected range (>= 2000-01-01) dry-run to find candidate files"
+  exit 1
+fi
+echo "OK Range operator (greater_than_or_equal) matched files"
+
 # Cleanup
 {{ICE_CLI}} --config {{CLI_CONFIG}} delete-table ${TABLE_NAME}
 echo "OK Deleted table: ${TABLE_NAME}"

ice/README.md

@@ -123,8 +123,29 @@ ice delete nyc.taxis_p_by_day \
 ice delete nyc.taxis_p_by_day \
   --partition '[{"name": "tpep_pickup_datetime_day", "values": ["2024-12-31"]}]' \
   --dry-run=false
+
+# actually delete and physically purge the data files from storage
+ice delete nyc.taxis_p_by_day \
+  --partition '[{"name": "tpep_pickup_datetime_day", "values": ["2024-12-31"]}]' \
+  --dry-run=false --purge
+
+# delete a range of partitions using a comparison operator
+ice delete nyc.taxis_p_by_day \
+  --partition '[{"name": "tpep_pickup_datetime_day", "op": "greater_than_or_equal", "values": ["2024-12-31"]}]' \
+  --dry-run=false
 ```
 
+Each partition filter accepts an optional `op` field (default `equals`): one of
+`equals`, `less_than`, `greater_than`, `less_than_or_equal`, `greater_than_or_equal`.
+Values within a filter are OR'd together and filters across fields are AND'd, so a
+range delete typically uses a single value.
+
+Without `--purge`, `ice delete` only de-references the data files (a new snapshot is
+created); the physical files remain until catalog maintenance reclaims them via
+`SNAPSHOT_CLEANUP` / `ORPHAN_CLEANUP`. With `--purge`, the matched data files are
+deleted from storage immediately, which breaks time-travel to snapshots that
+referenced them.
+
 ### Insert Without Copy
 
 Insert an S3 file by reference (no data copy) when it's already in the warehouse:

ice/src/main/java/com/altinity/ice/cli/Main.java

@@ -36,7 +36,9 @@
 import com.altinity.ice.internal.jetty.DebugServer;
 import com.altinity.ice.internal.picocli.VersionProvider;
 import com.altinity.ice.internal.strings.Strings;
+import com.fasterxml.jackson.annotation.JsonCreator;
 import com.fasterxml.jackson.annotation.JsonProperty;
+import com.fasterxml.jackson.annotation.JsonValue;
 import com.fasterxml.jackson.databind.DeserializationFeature;
 import com.fasterxml.jackson.databind.ObjectMapper;
 import com.fasterxml.jackson.dataformat.yaml.YAMLFactory;
@@ -964,7 +966,10 @@ void delete(
               names = {"--partition"},
               description =
                   "JSON array of partition filters: [{\"name\": \"vendorId\", \"values\": [5, 6]}]. "
-                      + "For timestamp columns, use ISO Datetime format YYYY-MM-ddTHH:mm:ss")
+                      + "For timestamp columns, use ISO Datetime format YYYY-MM-ddTHH:mm:ss. "
+                      + "Each filter may set an optional \"op\": one of equals (default), less_than, "
+                      + "greater_than, less_than_or_equal, greater_than_or_equal, e.g. "
+                      + "[{\"name\": \"vendorId\", \"op\": \"greater_than_or_equal\", \"values\": [5]}]")
           String partitionJson,
       @CommandLine.Option(
               names = "--dry-run",
@@ -992,7 +997,43 @@ void delete(
   }
 
   public record PartitionFilter(
-      @JsonProperty("name") String name, @JsonProperty("values") List<Object> values) {}
+      @JsonProperty("name") String name,
+      @JsonProperty("values") List<Object> values,
+      @JsonProperty("op") Op op) {
+
+    public PartitionFilter {
+      op = op == null ? Op.EQUALS : op;
+    }
+
+    public enum Op {
+      EQUALS("equals"),
+      LESS_THAN("less_than"),
+      GREATER_THAN("greater_than"),
+      LESS_THAN_OR_EQUAL("less_than_or_equal"),
+      GREATER_THAN_OR_EQUAL("greater_than_or_equal");
+
+      private final String json;
+
+      Op(String json) {
+        this.json = json;
+      }
+
+      @JsonValue
+      public String json() {
+        return json;
+      }
+
+      @JsonCreator
+      public static Op fromJson(String v) {
+        for (Op op : values()) {
+          if (op.json.equalsIgnoreCase(v) || op.name().equalsIgnoreCase(v)) {
+            return op;
+          }
+        }
+        throw new IllegalArgumentException("unknown partition filter op: " + v);
+      }
+    }
+  }
 
   private RESTCatalog loadCatalog() throws IOException {
     return loadCatalog(this.configFile());

ice/src/main/java/com/altinity/ice/cli/internal/cmd/Delete.java

@@ -72,7 +72,7 @@ public static void run(
             value = transformed;
           }
 
-          Expression singleValueExpr = Expressions.equal(fieldName, value);
+          Expression singleValueExpr = toPredicate(fieldName, value, pf.op());
           fieldExpr =
               fieldExpr == null ? singleValueExpr : Expressions.or(fieldExpr, singleValueExpr);
         }
@@ -112,4 +112,14 @@ public static void run(
       logger.info("No files to delete");
     }
   }
+
+  static Expression toPredicate(String fieldName, Object value, PartitionFilter.Op op) {
+    return switch (op) {
+      case EQUALS -> Expressions.equal(fieldName, value);
+      case LESS_THAN -> Expressions.lessThan(fieldName, value);
+      case GREATER_THAN -> Expressions.greaterThan(fieldName, value);
+      case LESS_THAN_OR_EQUAL -> Expressions.lessThanOrEqual(fieldName, value);
+      case GREATER_THAN_OR_EQUAL -> Expressions.greaterThanOrEqual(fieldName, value);
+    };
+  }
 }

ice/src/test/java/com/altinity/ice/cli/internal/cmd/DeleteTest.java

@@ -0,0 +1,81 @@
+/*
+ * Copyright (c) 2025 Altinity Inc and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved.
+ *
+ * Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
+ * you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
+ * You may obtain a copy of the License at
+ *
+ *     http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+ */
+package com.altinity.ice.cli.internal.cmd;
+
+import static org.assertj.core.api.Assertions.assertThat;
+import static org.assertj.core.api.Assertions.assertThatThrownBy;
+
+import com.altinity.ice.cli.Main.PartitionFilter;
+import com.fasterxml.jackson.databind.ObjectMapper;
+import java.util.List;
+import org.apache.iceberg.expressions.Expression;
+import org.apache.iceberg.expressions.UnboundPredicate;
+import org.testng.annotations.Test;
+
+public class DeleteTest {
+
+  private final ObjectMapper mapper = new ObjectMapper();
+
+  @Test
+  public void testToPredicateOperations() {
+    assertThat(((UnboundPredicate<?>) Delete.toPredicate("f", 5, PartitionFilter.Op.EQUALS)).op())
+        .isEqualTo(Expression.Operation.EQ);
+    assertThat(
+            ((UnboundPredicate<?>) Delete.toPredicate("f", 5, PartitionFilter.Op.LESS_THAN)).op())
+        .isEqualTo(Expression.Operation.LT);
+    assertThat(
+            ((UnboundPredicate<?>) Delete.toPredicate("f", 5, PartitionFilter.Op.GREATER_THAN))
+                .op())
+        .isEqualTo(Expression.Operation.GT);
+    assertThat(
+            ((UnboundPredicate<?>)
+                    Delete.toPredicate("f", 5, PartitionFilter.Op.LESS_THAN_OR_EQUAL))
+                .op())
+        .isEqualTo(Expression.Operation.LT_EQ);
+    assertThat(
+            ((UnboundPredicate<?>)
+                    Delete.toPredicate("f", 5, PartitionFilter.Op.GREATER_THAN_OR_EQUAL))
+                .op())
+        .isEqualTo(Expression.Operation.GT_EQ);
+  }
+
+  @Test
+  public void testOpDefaultsToEquals() {
+    PartitionFilter pf = new PartitionFilter("f", List.of(1), null);
+    assertThat(pf.op()).isEqualTo(PartitionFilter.Op.EQUALS);
+  }
+
+  @Test
+  public void testDeserializeWithoutOpDefaultsToEquals() throws Exception {
+    PartitionFilter pf =
+        mapper.readValue("{\"name\": \"f\", \"values\": [1]}", PartitionFilter.class);
+    assertThat(pf.name()).isEqualTo("f");
+    assertThat(pf.op()).isEqualTo(PartitionFilter.Op.EQUALS);
+  }
+
+  @Test
+  public void testDeserializeWithOp() throws Exception {
+    PartitionFilter pf =
+        mapper.readValue(
+            "{\"name\": \"f\", \"op\": \"greater_than_or_equal\", \"values\": [1]}",
+            PartitionFilter.class);
+    assertThat(pf.op()).isEqualTo(PartitionFilter.Op.GREATER_THAN_OR_EQUAL);
+  }
+
+  @Test
+  public void testDeserializeUnknownOpThrows() {
+    assertThatThrownBy(
+            () ->
+                mapper.readValue(
+                    "{\"name\": \"f\", \"op\": \"between\", \"values\": [1]}",
+                    PartitionFilter.class))
+        .hasMessageContaining("unknown partition filter op");
+  }
+}